The Kenya Tea Development Authority has finally settled on Sh700 million to commence the construction of Matunwa Tea Factory in Masaba North Sub-County.
The project which was proposed in 2011 had taken years to kick off due to intrigues between farmers from West Mugirango who wanted the factory set up in Nyamiranga and those from Gesima who backed the Matunwa region.
Senior board member Mr Charles Achoki on Tuesday confirmed the new developments, adding that the contractor is expected to visit the site soon.
“As part of KTDA management in Nyamira, we have already set aside Sh700 million for the factory at Matunwa. The contractor will report to the site soon because all logistics have been put in place. All we want is patience from tea farmers,” he said.
Achoki also said the factory will would offload the six existing factories in the region as well as create jobs for both the residents and non-residents.
“We all know the benefits that come with initiation of the project. We are going to have our existing factories offloaded for quick processing and off course many locals and even people from other parts of the country will get jobs in the new plant,” he said.
He said the tea agency would be glad to continue expanding its processing plants by establishing new ones based on the levels of productivity in the region.