By Hope Barbra
After successfully hosting the inaugural investment conference in June this year, the Murang’a County Government has now called for proposals from investors.
Governor Irungu Kang’ata wrote on his X handle, “Invest in Murang’a now. The county formally invites applications for investment opportunities, particularly from manufacturers.”
In the post captioned Investment Opportunities in Murang’a County, the governor called for public requests for proposals pursuant to Section 12(1)(e) of the Land Act, Cap 28.
Murang’a County Government is committed to industrializing the county, creating jobs, and enhancing opportunities for value addition to its diverse agricultural products. The ultimate goal is to increase farmers’ income, improve the overall standard of living for residents, and boost the county’s own-source revenue.
The additional revenue will support ongoing public projects such as paving more roads and expanding healthcare systems, among others.
In pursuit of this vision, the county hosted its inaugural investment conference on 13th–14th June 2025. During the conference, a market sounding of available opportunities was undertaken, and the county pledged to provide detailed investment opportunities at a later date.
“The county government now formally invites interested investors to explore and engage in these opportunities,” the statement read.
The target investment areas include the Murang’a Industrial Park at Gikono Landfall, SME Parks, and the Export Processing Zone. Interested investors were advised to fill out the Request for Proposal form and submit it by October 14th, 2025.
Kang’ata said during the conference that the county had several investment opportunities.
“Your Excellency, we are here for this conference for four reasons: we want to attract industries that can come and invest. Through that, we will be able to create jobs, raise revenue, and create backward linkages for our farmers.
In the Murang’a Industrial Park, we have 1,300 acres of land at a place near Makenji.
The master plan has been approved by the County Assembly. Out of that, 500 acres have been donated to EPZ, and we are happy they are currently building infrastructure.
The remaining 800 acres have been zoned for manufacturing and other uses. We have also given national government agencies pieces of land inside this park.
The Ministry of Housing has embarked on the second phase of its housing program—2,200 units within the park—and construction is ongoing. This land is open to anyone who wants to do manufacturing,” he said.
Murang’a County can be argued to be Kenya’s economic heartbeat and home to many of the country’s billionaires.
Murang’a is known for its fertile soil and favorable climate, which support both food and cash crop farming. The main food crops grown in the area include maize, beans, sweet potatoes, arrowroots, pumpkins, and bananas, while the key cash crops are tea and coffee.
The county has a rich history dating back to the missionary and colonial era, which may have shaped its destiny toward economics rather than politics.
Murang’a was the first place the missionaries ventured into and settled. When the British set up the East African Protectorate in 1895, their first administrative post, Fort Smith, was located in Murang’a.
During the conference, the Chief Executive Officer of Equity Group Holdings, Dr. James Mwangi, told President William Ruto that the county was well served with tarmac roads and only needed investors.
“Last time I stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York, I paid $12 for a sachet of 10 grams of tea that I produced. As an accountant, I computed $12 by Sh130—the exchange rate—and it came to Sh1,500. As a farmer, I only got Sh75.
Your Excellency, if there is no other case, this demonstrates the power of value addition for Murang’a farmers. This is the only way we can motivate them.
The second aspect, Your Excellency, is that tea is grown in the upper zone. There is no ridge in Murang’a without a tarmacked road to the upper ridge. So we are not asking for more road infrastructure—you did the Mau Mau Road, and I have seen the work ongoing. Let’s complete it.
We are not asking for heavy investment in roads; what we need are jobs and industries to enable the produce to reach manufacturing hubs.
Your Excellency, it is clean industrialization. Murang’a is next to the Seven Falls Hydro Dam. We shall use hydro energy so Kenya can teach the world that manufacturing can be green. Our tea would be green.
But Your Excellency, I would fail if I didn’t remind you that Murang’a is also the number one avocado producer in Kenya.
We can construct factories for avocado processing so that we may stop selling fruits and instead sell oil.
If you can help us, we can also venture into cosmetics manufacturing. This way, we go up to Sh1,500 instead of Sh75.
Your Excellency, we are also number two in macadamia production and number two in coffee. There is no other county that can give you that kind of scope—it’s only Murang’a.
I’m persuading the government to support this initiative because it has the potential. Murang’a can also carry the rest of the central region because it is the gateway to the city and export routes.
The produce from Murang’a can be complemented by produce from Nyeri, Kirinyaga, and even Meru, since the infrastructure is complete.
However, we are not creating enough jobs to enable our people to pay taxes like I do. So why don’t we solve the equation by giving them jobs through the industrial park?
Your Excellency, I stand to say that I will support this initiative. Equity Bank will fully finance this industrialization program,” he said.
