Revival and expansion of the Rivatex textile firm will be in focus as governors, senators and more than 10,000 guests head to Eldoret for the devolution conference which starts of August 15 to 19.
All the 47 governors are expected to arrive in Eldoret on August 14 and head to Rivatex for the first activity of the conference whose main venue has been set at the Eldoret Sports Club.
Rivatex CEO prof Thomas Kipkurgat confirmed the planned tour by the governors.
“The governors will be here to learn from experience on how the company has been revived and how it can be expanded to offer more job opportunities,” Kipkurgat said.
Rivatex currently employees about 1,300 workers directly after an expansion programme that cost more that Sh7 billion, much of which was from donors.
The expansion work is about 90 per cent done and once completed, the firm is expected to employ up to 5,000 workers directly.
Currently, Rivatex is facing an acute shortage of cotton which is its main raw material.
More than 200,000 acres of land is required to grow cotton that will help to meet demand at the Rift Valley Textile firm (Rivatex) and other textile firms which currently face acute shortages.
Kipkurgat said the firm requires more than 36,000 bales of cotton or 7.2 million kilogrammes of cotton annually, but does not get even half of the amount.
The firm thus operates far below its capacity.
“We have new investors coming in and the demand for cotton will almost triple hence the need for us to work with farmers in increasing cotton production,” Kipkurgat said.
He said there was need to revive cotton farming in 24 counties where the soils and weather are favourable for such farming. Governors from the counties where cotton can be get first hand information on cotton farming during the visit at Rivatex.
Kipkurgat said locally produced cotton would help reduce the cost of production and enable the company and others to create more jobs.
“We need to look at the whole textile chain from cotton growing to ginnery and production at firms like Rivatex so that we get maximum out of the sector and create more jobs for our people.”
Kipkurgat has been instrumental in the revival of Rivatex and led the expansion programmes and he says they are keen to ensure the company operates on full scale.
Last week, the parliamentary committee on Trade toured the factory on a fact finding mission.
Vice Chairperson of the committee who is also MP for Aldai Maryanne Keitany said they were impressed with the expansion programmes at the firm.
