The government is positioning Kericho County as a model for county-based industrialization, anchored on tea value addition and agro-processing, as part of a broader national strategy to drive economic transformation through devolved units.
Speaking during the official opening of the Kericho County Enterprise and Investment Summit at Kiprugut Chumo Stadium in Kericho Town, Investments, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui said Kericho's strategic agricultural base and infrastructure potential place it at the forefront of Kenya's regional industrial growth agenda.
The CS disclosed that the ministry is in discussion with the county government to convert some 88 acres of land in Kericho into a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), while consultations were at an advanced stage for another Special Economic Zone in Londiani targeting the floriculture industry.
At the same time, Kinyanjui announced that Sotik Tea, one of the leading producers in the South Rift has already been gazetted as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). "The Ministry is in talks with Kenya Tea Packers Limited (KETEPA) to set up a common user facility within the SEZ for tea blending, packaging, and value addition," he added The CS noted that the tea sector had demonstrated resilience amid declining performance in other export commodities, saying that according to the Economic Survey of 2025, Kenya exported 626,000 metric tonnes of tea in 2024, an 11 percent increase from 564,000 tonnes in 2023.
