Naivasha entrepreneurs have praised plans to open a leather and textile factory in Olkaria.
In his 2019-20 budget statement on Thursday, Treasury CS Henry Rotich said the government will allocate Sh1.1 billion for the project in the industrial park in Olkaria.
East Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industry director Kamau Njuguna said hundreds of unemployed youths would benefit from the project.
“For years, the plans to construct the industrial park have been on paper, but with the allocation for the leather factory, there is hope,” he said.
Njuguna said though the budget was not friendly to low-income earners, there was hope for investors want to invest in the town.
Naivasha Professional Association chairman Eskimos Kobia said the benefits of the leather factory would trickle to mama mboga.
“With the coming up of the leather factory, we expect more employees to seek jobs in Naivasha and this will be a boost to landlords and mama mbogas,” he said.
Kobia said the CS, however, failed to address the issue of the high cost of living.
“This budget was not meant for the hustlers as the high taxes affecting basic commodities were not reduced to the expectations of many,” he said.
Lawyer George Kimani termed the budget speculative and too huge for a country that is struggling to meet basic needs like food and health.
“It’s time to have a constitutional review to limit the number of counties, elected leaders and reduce state corporations,” he said.
