Eleven investors have applied to set up tanning factories at the proposed Leather Industrial Park in Machakos system among them three Indians.
This is according to Principal secretary Julius Korir who said the governments' plan is to establish a competitive leather sector that can compete with Ethiopia. The park alone is expected to create an additional 35,000 jobs.
“We now have 11 eleven applications in total since nine local investors had applied in August,” he said on Friday during a trade and investment meeting with the Indian investors in Nairobi as quoted by the star.
The park will be funded fully by the private sector at an estimated cost of Sh17 billion with government providing land and necessary infrastructure. However, its not yet clear how much investment the 11 investors have pledged to put in.
“The park will play a huge role in increasing competitiveness and modernisation of the leather industry,” the PS said.
Korir said groundbreaking for infrastructure development will pave way for the construction of a global standard waste treatment plant and an integrated leather and by-products production facilities.
Tanneries will be set up, each with a daily production capacity of 10 tonnes of hides and skins and 10,000 pairs of shoes, handbags, leather garments and industrial gloves.
Business centres, training centre, chemical storage and distribution units will also be set up.