Young people have been advised to invest in the lucrative leather industry to diversify their sources of income. Speaking at the Nakuru Nyayo Gardens on Friday, an official at the Livestock department Ms. Virginia Kamau popularly known as “Mama wa Ngozi” said there was a lot of potential in the industry. “We have not had many young people investing in this industry and those that haven capitalized have realized enormous returns in a short time,” explained Virginia. She was speaking during the occasion to show case the progress the Nakuru County government has made in two years of devolution. “For those intending to deal with the raw product, apart from issuing the trade license, we take you through the preparatory stages where we inspect and approve your prospective store, advise you on the best way to preserve your raw material and link you to various local markets,” added Virginia. One of the largest markets locally is the long established Nakuru Tanners which produces wet blue hides and skins for export. There are also companies from other counties who have set up collection points in Nakuru due to its high quality raw leather. Apart from the traditional cow, goat and sheep skins, Virginia also revealed that there was also an emerging market for rabbit skins and there have also been requests for donkey skins from the Chinese. “The market has been there and it continues to grow so for any person who is willing to invest his time and work hard, the returns are guaranteed,” concludes Virginia.

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