@Alicewangechi
Sagana, one of the oldest towns in the country, is famous for its history as an old industrial hub.
Located in Kirinyaga county, the old dusty town sits snuggly along Kenya’s longest river, Thagana, from which it derived its name.
It is in the town that John Ngereza, the band leader for Orchestras Les Wanyika met and fell in love with Margaret Wambui Mwangi, aka Afro, inspiring the rhumba song ‘Afro Mtoto wa Sagana’.
It is estimated that the town started around 1922, with the first permanent commercial building being established by the colonial government in the 1930s.
The town was home to the only train substation in Mt Kenya region that kept its lifeblood flowing, thanks to the Nairobi-Nanyuki railway line.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the town was famous for hosting factories for coffee, leather, fish, flour milling, oil depots, timber yards and a vibrant hotel and entertainment industry, whose driving force was largely the people working in the factories.
It made its name as an entertainment haven where true and illicit love thrived, fuelled by the huge cash-flow from the industries.
Traders from the Mt Kenya and Northeastern regions depended on the railway line to move their goods from Nairobi and Mombasa, establishing dozens of godowns, which were used for storage.
The town’s economy was a vibrant tapestry of trade, services and manufacturing, becoming the engines of development and night escapades that made the town famous.
The industries attracted a huge workforce from many parts of the country, making the town a metropolis when many other towns were characterised by scanty shops.
Its nightlife fuelled by entertainment joints that operated overnight further drove its economy as people streamed in in hordes.
However, the gradual decline of the country’s railway transport network that began in 1980s did not spare the town.
It gradually declined leaving a trail of desperation as business owners who had invested in the town were forced to close down and workers sought greener pastures elsewhere.
Today, the town that is a mere shell of its former self, wears its history like a badge of honour, its empty warehouses and closed gates to once vibrant industries speaking volumes of its glorious past.
The town is currently forced to rely on the entertainment industry as its main economic activity with many hotels springing up along the Nairobi-Meru highway.
The hotels offer entertainment activities such as water sports that attract tourists.
For Jeremiah Makimi, Kariti MCA, the empty buildings are a stark reminder of the gone era of prosperity.
Makimi said despite the economic downturn, the local community still holds onto its vibrant spirit, a testament to its resilience.
However, the MCA said ongoing efforts by the Kirinyaga government to set up an industrial park in the area have revived hope that the town could regain its lost glory, that of a thriving economy.
“The enthusiasm and the hope are starting to come together. With the establishment of the industrial park, there is hope that the town will rise again. People here are anxious to see it roar back to life with industries,” Makimi said.
Governor Anne Waiguru said the industrial park will breathe new life into the town as it is expected to create more than 10,000 direct jobs.
“It targets investors in agro-processing industries for produce such as dairy, essential oils, integrated fruits and vegetables, beverages processing, supportive industries such as agrovet processors, packaging factories, banks, hospitality, exports and logistics,” she said.
Waiguru said 34 investors have applied to set up industries at the facility. The park will host an export processing zone and a special economic zone that will house the county aggregation and industrial park.
Kirinyaga is among five counties that will benefit from Sh1 billion from the national government for the development of the EPZ.
Waiguru, who is also Council of Governors chairperson, said the town has all the necessary infrastructure like railway line, a dual carriageway and water to support investment in manufacturing and agro-processing.
“It will create an opportunity to grow jobs along the various value chains, raise incomes and close rural-urban inequality gaps as locals also participate in global supply chain through value addition,” she said.
The governor said her administration is committed to give Sagana town a facelift and its streets have already been cabro-paved as industrial park gains momentum.
Sagana resident Peter Warui still holds memories of the formerly vibrant town.
“Sagana was the biggest and busiest town in Kirinyaga. It was an industrial hub and home to people from so many communities. It was full of life but the decline of the railway transport killed it and it became deserted,” he said.
The railway station, he said, drove the town’s economy that hard a high cash flow circulation, expressing optimism that the industrial park will give the town another lease of life.
Joel Bakari, a businessman, recalled that traders from as far as Meru and Chuka had warehouses in the town where their goods would be stored awaiting transportation or after being offloaded from the train.
“As traders, we’re eagerly waiting for the setting up of the industries. We know those who will be working there will require houses to rent and food to eat, and we will seize the opportunity,” he said.
Trader Simon Njoroge said the value of property in the town and its environs has started going up as people from all over the country rush to invest.
“We are optimistic that the industrial park will attract investments and create jobs for our people and stimulate economic growth of our county. We have hopes that our businesses will thrive again”.
