The national government plans to establish a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Murang'a county and the first of its kind in the country on a 500-acre piece of land, part of the 1300 acres ceded by Delmonte Kenya to the Murang'a County government.
The move is aimed at reducing the cost of importation of pharmaceutical commodities, which costs the country up to Sh150 billion annually.
Speaking at the Inaugural Murang'a County Investment Conference in Murang'a, Friday, President William Ruto revealed that they had identified and marked Murang'a special Economic Zone as the country's pharmaceuticals manufacturing hub. "The ministry of health is providing relevant expertise to ensure that the Sh150 billion worth of pharmaceutical commodities supply that is currently being imported is manufactured right here in the country," he said.
The president, while lauding the county government of Murang'a's efforts to make the county an industrial hub, noted that the investment conference came at a pivotal time when the country was integrating county-level investment promotion into its broader foreign engagement strategy. "Kenya's real strength lies at the grassroots as it is our counties that comparative advantages in agricultural, manufacturing, energy, ICT, infrastructure and tourism become visible and that is why we must develop competitive value chains, and move beyond primary production," he said.
