Tag: Business

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KCB, NBK & Britam General Insurance Target SMEs in Health Insurance Distribution Deal

KCB and National Bank of Kenya (NBK) have entered into an agreement with Britam General Insurance to distribute affordable health insurance products targeted at Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the country.

In the deal, KCB Bancassurance Intermediary Limited and National Bank of Kenya Bancassurance Intermediary Limited will jointly distribute the newly launched KCB Flme Simba Health and Uzima Tele Insurance Plans.

The two products are specifically designed to meet the needs of MSMEs by offering affordable premiums with a flexible payment plan, targeting registered companies with a minimum of 3 employees. They both have three benefits: inpatient, outpatient, and last expense.

KCB Flme Simba Health Plan is targeted at women entrepreneurs and offers them comprehensive medical solutions suitable to meet their unique health needs. Some of its features include the Diva Wellness Cover, Newborn Baby Expenses (For the first 90 days), Gynecological-related treatment, and Maternity Cover accompanied by the necessary ante-natal care.

On the other hand, the KCB Uzima Tele Health Insurance Plan is a specialized medical insurance solution designed for organizations that seek to affordably safeguard the healthcare of their employees and dependents. The cover grants SMEs access to quality healthcare, including maternity care, vaccinations, and Last Expense benefits. The minimum number of employees that can be covered is three.

KCB Bancassurance Intermediary Limited Managing Director, Mr. Aggrey Mulumbi “There is need to expand access to best-in-class insurance products and offerings, especially for niche markets like SMEs. Through this partnership, we commit to be a one-stop financial services hub that is keen on offering innovative insurance products and outstanding customer service to all our customers across the board,” Mr. Mulumbi said.

The partnership is premised on the fact that despite their critical role in supporting economic growth, SMEs in Kenya continue to face many risks, one of them being a lack of adequate risk management strategies. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that SMEs face higher exposure to threats while commonly available insurance offerings are not adapted to the needs of SMEs.

On his part, Mr.Tom Gitogo, Britam’s Group Managing Director and CEO noted that the resilience of SME businesses can only be enhanced through effective risk transfer and Bancassurance provides such a convenient platform to actualize this dream. “Recognizing the challenges faced by MSMEs, our partnership with KCB and National Bank of Kenya Bancassurance Intermediary Limited, is designed to cater to the unique needs of MSMEs, including women entrepreneurs, safeguarding their owner’s healthcare, that of their employees and their dependents,” said Mr. Gitogo.

Adding, “By providing affordable and accessible healthcare options, we aim to alleviate the burden on MSMEs, enabling them to focus on what they do best- growing their businesses.”

In Kenya, MSMEs constitute 98% of all businesses in Kenya, create 30% of the jobs annually as well as contribute 3% of GDP growth. However, underinsurance, fueled by a lack of knowledge on how best to use financial services, how insurance works, or what risks they should seek insurance coverage for has made it almost impossible for these SMEs to fully unlock their potential.

This collaboration with Britam General Insurance is the latest in KCB and NBK efforts to extend its value proposition to include emerging insurance market segments.

“This will create a mutually rewarding opportunity, giving the bank’s customers the choice of a diverse range of health insurance products and benefits. Our reputation for building a simplified in-path and tailored insurance experience through embedded insurance will play a great role in raising awareness of the value of insurance protection, especially for our SME customers,” said Mr. George Odhiambo, NBK Managing Director.

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AGRA Unveils Strategy to Boost Food Security and Smallholder Farmer Resilience in Kenya

AGRA has launched its Kenya Strategy to support the country’s efforts to enhance food security and build the resilience of smallholder farmers by strengthening market systems.

The 5-year strategy aligns with Kenya’s Vision 2030 blueprint for long-term development, which aims to transform the country into a newly industrializing, middle-income nation.  The strategy builds on the achievements and lessons from Agra 2.0 strategy.

Speaking during the unveil of the new strategy in Nairobi, Kenya, AGRA President Dr. Agnes Kalibata noted that the strategy focuses on addressing key challenges facing the agricultural sector, such as the need to assess the impact of climate change and its shocks, prioritize disease monitoring, and focus on building markets to pull sustainable farming practices.

“Our delivery model will continue to scale and leverage proven approaches to deliver a competitive and inclusive agricultural transformation in Kenya. We are committed to working closely with smallholder farmers, the private sector, and other stakeholders to enhance food security and build the resilience of the agricultural sector,” Dr. Kalibata said.

In Kenya, agricultural sector has traditionally, played a crucial role in ensuring food security, job creation, income generation, foreign exchange earnings and linkages with other sectors of the economy.   Over the years, the successive governments have prioritised agriculture through digitising the subsidies programme and loan commercialisation; despite these efforts, the sector remains characterised by weak vertical integration as result of unpredictable weather patterns and recurrence of insecurity particularly in the ASALs.  Some of the many challenges facing the sector remains major threats to national economic progress.

“The Kenya Kwanza Government is keen on strengthening longer-term resilience and increasing agricultural capacity investments to boost domestic food production. Public-private partnerships have the potential to revolutionize food security in Kenya by combining the strengths of both sectors to create sustainable solutions that benefit the entire population,” said Hon Mithinka Linturi, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development will implement various programmes to improve agricultural productivity, food and nutrition security, value chain development, market access and trade, climate change, and the policy and legal framework. The ultimate goal is to ensure 100% food and nutrition security and contribute to income and employment creation in a secure environment.

In recognition of the wide-ranging nature and complexity of the challenges facing smallholder farmers in Africa, AGRA sees strategic partnerships as a key pillar of its strategy.  These partnerships support the creation of alignment between government priorities and private sector interests, for improving impact at smallholder farmer level and for mobilizing private sector investment to scale. As such, The Partnership for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa (PIATA) was launched in 2017 as a vehicle of mobilising strategic partnerships for transforming agricultural systems. This is being achieved by driving integrated delivery within agro-economic zones and across value chains, for enhancing in-country coordination and for deepening engagements with the private sector to transition African agriculture from subsistence to sustainable business occupations.

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Kakuzi releases its third Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report

Listed agri-business firm Kakuzi Plc has announced the release of its third Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report.

With the report’s release, the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) listed superfoods grower now becomes the first Agricultural segment counter on the local bourse to voluntarily release its ESG report this year.

ESG is a framework upon which companies develop and deploy their sustainability initiatives, including identifying, assessing and managing risks that emanate from social and environmental issues affecting their entire value and supply chains.

Speaking at the release of the Kakuzi ESG Report 2021, aptly themed: Growing Communities, Responsible Value Chains, Kakuzi PLC Managing Director Mr Chris Flowers said the firm consistently tracks and measures its ESG impacts.

“Acutely aware that corporates can and do face challenges, some of which impact the society we operate within and our environment, this ESG report details how we are identifying and managing those,” Mr Flowers said. He acknowledged that: “at Kakuzi, we will continue doing the right thing and correcting our course where we need to. By tracking and publicly reporting our ESG touchpoints and other key social indicators, we are demonstrating our commitment to remain a responsible corporate citizen of Kenya. It is the right thing to do.”

At the event presided over by NSE Board Chairman Kiprono Kittony, assisted by NSE CEO Geoffrey Odundo, the Kakuzi team leader cited Kakuzi as one of the first Companies in the region to put in place an Operational Grievance Mechanism (OGM) The Company has also put in place an Independent Human Rights Advisory Committee (IHRAC) chaired by former Attorney General Prof Githu Muigai, to ensure proper handling of Human Rights related issues. Kakuzi’s IHRAC is benchmarked against the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) global standards for preventing and addressing human rights abuses by businesses and companies.

Alongside IHRAC, Kakuzi, he said, has also operationalized the first independent operational-level grievance mechanism dubbed “SIKIKA”, headed by Justice (Rtd) Violet Mavisi. “At Kakuzi, we believe in reaching the highest standards and do not shy away from the challenges in trying to achieve this, even when faced with headwinds,” Mr Flowers said.

While confirming Kakuzi’s support for the national tree planting campaign aimed at attaining a minimum of 30 per cent forest cover by 2032, the Company, he pledged, will continue to play its part. “We are complementing tree planting with other ‘climate smart practices’, such as how we cook our Food.  At Kakuzi we have invested considerable resources in our Jiko Kisasa project.  Now over 600 families in our surrounding communities are cooking on these energy efficient stoves, reducing their demand for wood by at least 30%, ” Mr Flowers said.

As part of the firm’s corporate citizenship endeavors’, Kakuzi has continued to be involved in many community projects including economic empowerment, health, education, clean water and sanitation, environment conservation, and climate action.

In 2021, Kakuzi provided more than 2,500 pupils in 28 learning institutions with classroom furniture. The Company also constructed sanitation facilities for use by over   6,000 pupils. During the year, the rehabilitation of Kakuzi Primary School was a major project giving the school a significant facelift aimed at improving the quality of education at the school.

On economic empowerment and corporate social investment initiatives under the model of local partnerships, Kakuzi continues to make avocado seedlings available to community members.

In 2021, farmers sourced over 29,000 quality Hass avocado seedlings from Kakuzi. Kakuzi PLC continues to empowers the communities with knowledge and skills on avocado production and offers free maturity testing for smallholder farmers with a view to addressing quality concerns and improving farmers’ income.

The Kakuzi Avocado Smallholder program has 3500 registered farmers. During the reporting period, Farmers enjoyed a total payment of KSh57.9 million and access to the growing international market.

Additionally, the firm got involved in other initiatives like the beekeeping programme which donated bee hives and conducted training to several self-help groups as part of support to diversify the community’s income.

“As part of enumerating the impacts of the company, supply chain sustainability was pivoted to promote human rights, fair labor practices, environmental progress, and corporate governance. The COVID-19 pandemic was also highlighted, including the obvious dangers the business had to overcome within the supply and value chains. To make resilience, agility, and sustainability a reality, Kakuzi was able to mainstream transparency in how we conduct our business to protect Human Rights across the different divisions of the Company,” said Mr. Flowers.

“One of our major highlights during the year was the journey to access the China market. The China fruit market is very advanced as far as the consumption of agricultural commodities including superfoods such as avocado is concerned. The regulatory entry process was stringent, and the consumers are incredibly discerning and quality conscious. However, we were up to the task and committed to maintaining the Kakuzi quality consistency for all our exports to China, among other markets. I am hopeful that this will work to reveal just how responsible value chains can grow communities.” Mr. Flowers said.

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Upfield ,the first food company to estimate its “emission savings” from consumers choosing plant-based over dairy, urges policymakers to use data to drive progress

With the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit underway, Upfield has published data to show that consumers and chefs, who bought their plant-based butters, margarines and spreads instead of dairy butter, have avoided emitting an estimated 6 million metric tonnes of CO2-equivalent within 12 months.

“The Upside” – which can also be referred to as “emissions savings” – was measured based on data and product sales over the calendar year of 2020 and has enabled consumers to avoid double the emissions that Upfield is responsible for.

By aiming to quantify “The Upside”, Upfield becomes the first food company to pilot a methodology that estimates the carbon emissions avoided by its portfolio, purely by manufacturing plant-based butters, margarines and spreads as opposed to dairy butter.

This industry leading approach is a first step in setting the standard for a consistent framework and methodology that would allow companies to quantify the benefits of their lower- impact products, highlighting the differences between food companies and the portfolio of products they offer.

Sally Smith, Head of Sustainability at Upfield commented, ‘This data helps demonstrate that choosing just one company’s plant-based products can help consumers save emissions by the same magnitude as planting a large forest. The scientific consensus is that we need a plant-based shift to tackle the crisis in climate and nature. We encourage policymakers and stakeholders to consider the insight from this approach and its implications for sustainable diets worldwide.

At Upfield we are also committed to putting climate footprint information on pack as a way to help consumers make active choices to help reduce the carbon impact of their diets and we’d love to see other food businesses doing the same.

But while delivering “The Upside” is important this doesn’t negate us reducing our own footprint. We have set ourselves an ambitious goal to reduce Upfield’s own emissions to net zero and continue to take steps towards meeting this goal.”

“The Upside” is largely due to ingredient production. Making dairy butter causes substantially damaging methane emissions from cows, in addition to growing crops for cattle feed, whereas plant-based production relies only on crops.

UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has advised that reducing agricultural emissions from cattle should be one of the immediate priorities to limit global warming as soon as possible.

In fact, with the average plant-based margarine and spread product responsible for 70% lower emissions than dairy butter, the Upside of 6 million metric tonnes of CO2-eq avoided is double Upfield’s operational and supply chain emissions (3 million metric tonnes) in 2020.

“The Upside” was estimated by Anthesis, a leading global sustainability consultancy using their “Portfolio Footprinting  Methodology”. This takes detailed peer reviewed and published Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data (which measures the total environmental impact of a product, including agricultural inputs, ingredient production, manufacture, packaging, transport and usage) and scales this up to a portfolio level based on sales data and the theoretical assumption that consumers and chefs bought plant-based butters, margarines and spreads instead of dairy butter. The original Upfield product LCA data also showed that across Europe and North America, Upfield’s plant-based margarines on average occupy two-thirds less land and use less than half the water when compared with the same amount of dairy butter.

Simon Davis, Agrifood Lead at Anthesis commented “We’re excited to have worked with Upfield to develop a draft methodology that enables them to estimate the benefits of their plant-based product portfolios.  It is equally as exciting to have begun a process of developing something that can articulate the role plant-based products can have in food-system transformation. We invite businesses, policymakers and stakeholders to help support and collaborate in order to refine the approach and look forward to the next stage in the journey.”

 

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Equity Ngara Branch partners with Interior Ministry to plant trees at Mathari Hospital

Equity Ngara Branch partnered with the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to plant 3,300 tree seedlings at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital.

The exercise was conducted with the support of the Kazi Mtaani programme and chaperoned by the Deputy County Commissioner Mathare Sub-County, Jacob Mwaura.

More than 200 youths from Mathare sub-county came out to plant trees in the public hospital that focuses on mental health matters.

“Kazi Mtaani is an intervention by the Government to take care of youth affected by the restrictions enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic, where many have lost jobs and closed their businesses. Through exercises like this one, where young people provide labour, we keep the youth busy and the environment clean. The youth will also be involved in taking care of the trees until they grow,” said Jacob Mwaura.

He added that this being the rainy season, it is a good time to plant trees, with Mathare sub-county having a target of 4 million trees for the year 2021.

Speaking during the tree planting, the Acting Deputy CEO of Mathari Hospital, Dr Laurence Nderi said the hospital is happy to partner with Equity since both institutions share a commitment to impact the communities they serve.

“Equity is a market leader in the banking sector and has a strong CSR culture. Assisting the community is one of our mandates and we are glad that Equity staff are leaving their offices to be with the community. There is a lot more we can do together,” he said.

Equity Nairobi West Region General Manager Stephen Macharia, who accompanied the staff from Ngara Branch, said the event was a significant one for the region which boasts 32 branches.

“We have a target to plant 23,600 trees per branch, but even more important is that we want this exercise to be in partnership with the community. We acknowledge the young people from Kazi Mtaani who have joined us today here at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital to plant trees,” he said.

The event was organized by Equity Ngara Branch.

“Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital is our client and we are happy to partner with them today as we plant trees under the direction of Kenya Forest Service officials,” said, Charles Gitonga the Branch Manager

Among the trees planted were 200 indigenous trees and 100 grafted mango trees.

Patricia Kitheka, who is in charge of forestry advisory services in Nairobi County said Kenya Forest Service, values Equity’s partnership in greening the county.

“This is in line with the presidential directive to increase forest cover,” she noted.

The exercise is part of Equity’s 35 million trees planting initiative in the Group’s efforts to conserve the environment.

Through its partnership with Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in this noble initiative, the Bank has been able to receive technical and supervisory support in ensuring proper planting and maintenance of the trees.

 

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Equity crosses the Trillion mark

Equity Group has crossed the Ksh.1,000,000,000,000 rubicon becoming the first bank in Eastern and Central Africa to cross this mark.

 

The milestone was achieved upon successful migration of BCDC to Equity’s Finacle core banking platform.

 

The one trillion mark by Equity lifts the visibility of the financial sector in Eastern Africa significantly to compete favorably with financial institutions in South Africa, West Africa and North Africa for project and development finance.

 

Speaking when announcing this milestone from Kinshasa Congo where he was witnessing the migration of BCDC to Equity’s core banking platform, Dr. Mwangi said, “We are delighted to witness this milestone that has shattered the psychological barrier of a trillion-shilling balance sheet. ” He added, “The benefits to our customers will be immense. The bank is also the most capitalized in East and Central Africa with over Ksh. 142 billion giving it a single lending obligor of Ksh. 35 billion.  Equity banking subsidiaries will now be in a position to leverage the Group’s strength to extend large corporate loans across all the countries where Equity operates.

 

Dr. Mwangi said BCDC brings to the Group 112 years of corporate banking experience and will be instrumental in strengthening Equity’s supreme banking experience. In return, BCDC will benefit from the agility of a dynamic and disruptive business model. The two brands will create a formidable financial institution in DRC with a tested and trusted BCDC brand that has proven itself for 112 years and the global reputation of Equity Bank, its capitalization, advanced technology allowing digital, online banking and sophisticated security systems.

 

Dr Mwangi applauded staff for their passion and enthusiasm, putting the customers first and delivering exceptional service in line with the Equity dream of transforming lives and livelihoods. By embracing a self-disruptive culture, staff have continued to deliver innovative products and services that give customers convenience and freedom of modern banking. At the same time, he thanked customers for their continued faith and trust in our partnership which gives Equity the necessary resources and inspiration to scale its impact in the region.

 

Speaking during the migration of BCDC to Equity’s Finacle platform, Yves Cuypers, BCDC’s Managing Director said, “We are excited at the possibilities that Equity Group Holdings brings to our BCDC customers. By becoming part of a large international financial services Group, our customers will enjoy a wider choice of products and services and most importantly, they will immediately be able to access modern technologically driven banking, including a versatile mobile banking experience, international card payment options and merchants, access to a wide range of payment outlets and a broad digital banking footprint.”

 

BCDC will now enjoy a versatile world class core banking system that has state of the art security features including Anti Money Laundering (AML) transaction monitoring and Know Your Customer screening capabilities.

 

BCDC customers will enjoy a shared platform that Equity Group operates in six countries, giving them access to a multi-currency and multi-country platform that supports real time cross border transactions.

 

Equity has accelerated its technology capability to deliver self-service banking across its markets through mobile banking, Agency banking as well as online banking.

 

Equity is currently the leading bank in the region in processing diaspora remittances, mobile banking and merchant banking which gives customers the freedom of self-service banking anytime anywhere.

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Business Associations: Governor Kinyanjui’s Award a plus to Nakuru

Business Associations have lauded Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui for being named the Business-Friendly Governor of the Year 2020.

Led by the Chamber of Commerce, East Africa Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Nakuru Business Association, the business fraternity say  is a plus for Nakuru County.

Addressing the media in Nakuru, Chairman Chamber of Commerce Thuo Njuguna said the Award will see Nakuru elevated to another level in terms of business opportunities.

He called on Governor Kinyanjui to even go for higher global   awards.

“The development means a lot to Nakuru on matters business and even investment. I want to urge our governor to even aim for higher global awards so that Nakuru can continue to shine. We urge him to go higher and vie for more global awards.

Njuguna Kamau from East Africa Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture stated that it has been a journey.

According to Njuguna, the award means Nakuru is now a notch higher.

“As business people we now feel Nakuru has gone a notch higher in terms of investment”

He also commended Kinyanjui on the many Bills touching on trade that he has signed into law.

Njuguna says such Bills will go a long way in addressing the challenges through ensuring investment.

He urged the county leadership is leadership to continue focusing on transforming the society by ensuring a conducive environment for businesses.

“This is a golden opportunity for businesses and Nakuru as a whole. We call on people from the region to now move and work towards making the society better” he said.

Similar sentiment reiterated by Peris Mbuthia-the South Rift Chair Kenya Association of Manufacturers.

Ms Mbuthia says Nakuru County leadership has continued to ensure a friendly environment even during this COVID-19 pandemic.

“As we look at our contribution towards GDP we want to commend the governor for the support in terms of relief.The development of PPEs by our own Bedi, the governor has been supportive during this COVID-19 pandemic” she said.

While terming Nakuru a hub, Ms Mbuthia was categorical that engagement with stakeholders has been key in this county through the leadership.

Nakuru Business Association Secretary Lorna Wambai on her part lauded the MoU between the County Government of Nakuru and Geothermal Development Company.

She says the MoU will see many youths get employment and in turn stimulate the economy of the County.

“Nakuru is a hub of many natural resources and the signed MoU with GDC will stimulate economic growth through employment opportunities” she said.

Governor Kinyanjui is among three Kenyans who have been feted by the African Leadership Magazine for their exceptional leadership practices and outstanding achievements in Africa’s business landscape.

The three emerged the winners in the hotly contested African Business Leadership Awards 2020.

Mr Kinyanjui is among three Kenyans who have been feted by the African Leadership Magazine for their exceptional leadership practices and outstanding achievements in Africa’s business landscape.

The three emerged the winners in the hotly contested African Business Leadership Awards 2020.

The winners shall be presented with the award trophies and formally decorated with the instruments of the honor at the 5th US – Africa Investment Forum & Policy Dialogue 2020 (virtual), scheduled to hold (Via Zoom) from September 29th – 30th, 2020.

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IFC announces Sh500m loan to Equity Bank to support Kenyan SMEs during COVID-19

International Finance Corporation(IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has announced a Sh500 million loan to Equity Bank Kenya to help it increase working capital and trade-related lending to its small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) clients, especially those facing COVID-19 related challenges.

The loan, which will ultimately support hundreds of Kenyan businesses in the manufacturing, health, trade, transport, and consumer goods sectors, is part of IFC’s global $8 billion fast-track COVID-19 facility, announced in March and designed to help businesses maintain operations and jobs during—and after— the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr. James Mwangi, Equity Group CEO, said, “IFC’s loan, part of our business continuity management plan, will help Equity Bank extend much-needed support to our clients, particularly to SMEs in sectors hit hard by COVID-19. We have purposed to support and walk with them so that they can survive during this crisis, recover, and thrive after it. I call on customers looking to seize emerging opportunities in the health and medical sector to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) or support the logistics of the entire ecosystems and value chain to take advantage of the Sh500 million facility.”

Manuel Moses, IFC Country Manager for Kenya, said, “IFC’s longstanding partnership with Equity Bank underscores our commitment to Kenya’s financial sector and wider economy, especially during these difficult economic times. Keeping businesses solvent and protecting jobs are essential parts of IFC’s response to the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted trade and value chains in Kenya, across Africa, and around the world, affecting commodity prices, reducing foreign financing flows, and collapsing tourism revenues.

Smaller businesses are the life blood of Kenya’s economy, accounting for about 81 percent of employment.

IFC’s portfolio in Kenya stood at $884 million as of June 30, 2020, with investments supporting growth and jobs in the financial, manufacturing, agribusiness, services, infrastructure, and other sectors.

IFC has reiterated commitment to scaling investment and advisory support in Kenya, especially within the context of Kenya’s Big Four Agenda of manufacturing, affordable housing, affordable healthcare, and food security.

 

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Empower agro-industries to end post harvest loses-Governor Kinyanjui

Governments should lobby for and devise laws that favor local industries for the country to be food secure.

Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui says despite Kenya producing much food, startling statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics show that Kenya loses over Sh100 billion worth of food to waste annually.

Governor Lee stated that establishing agro-processing industries would ensure perishable food undergoes value addition thus minimizing loses.

“We need to start thinking on establishing agro-processing industries that would ensure perishable food undergoes value addition thus minimizing loses” said Kinyanjui.

He was speaking when he officially opened a water treatment and bottling plant at the Njoro Canners, a food processing company based in Njoro, Nakuru.

Kinyanjui at the same time called on universities to collaborate with local industries in driving innovations equipping students with the knowledge as per the market needs.

Njoro Canners director Sahul Patel said the company has established major food processing plants in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda.

He called on the national government and counties to come up with favorable tax regimes to empower local investors.“We have established major food processing plants in line with President’s Big Four Agenda.

The national government and counties should come up with favorable tax regimes to empower local investors” said Patel.

Governor Lee vouched for the promotion of investments in post-harvest handling through public-private partnerships, and by contracting farmers and other commercial off-takers.

Mr.Maina Ndura, a farmer contracted by the Njoro Canners called on the governments to come up with low-cost, mechanized irrigation technologies capable of providing considerable production.

PHOTO/NGPU:Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui at the Njoro Canners food processing company.

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