Kilifi county government is set to benefit from at least Sh720 million as urbanization fund by the British government.
The news emerged on Tuesday after the British High Commissioner to Kenya Mr Nick Hailey appended his signature on a memorandum of understanding binding the county and his country.
Speaking after signing the agreement, Hailey said the urbanization programme will create more jobs for hundreds of unemployed youths and even improve the county economy.
"The programme will bring real transformation. We now have a new approach for partnerships, it’s the people who come up with the ideas and they tell us what they need,’’ said Hailey as quoted by Mediamax network.
On his part, governor Kingi said the signing of the MoU marked a fresh beginning of a long journey towards regional transformation.
Some of the projects set to benefit from the fund as identified by the county include agribusiness, fisheries and also the blue economy.
The Sh750 million grant to Kilifi is part of the profitable and sustainable urban economic development program aimed at spurring growth in Kenya’s emerging municipalities as strategic hubs for a green economy.
The fund is now expected to spur economic growth in Kilifi town, which has in the recent past, been identified as one of the fast-growing towns in Kenya.