The President has lauded EABL
for introducing Senator Keg and
announced plans to establish a Sh15 billion brewery in Kisumu county.
Uhuru Kenyatta noted Senator Keg is a safe, affordable beer that has helped the government fight the menace of illicit brews.
"This year, Treasury has done its part by introducing an 80 per cent remission for beers made from sorghum, millet and cassava. Quality brews such as Senator Keg will remain affordable for wananchi and the makers and sellers of illicit brews will find life ever harder," he said at State House on Wednesday.
During campaigns in Bungoma, NASA chief Raila Odinga said no law in Kenya prohibits chang'aa consumption and that the people should be allowed to enjoy their favourite drink.
DP William Ruto said Raila was undermining the war on alcoholism but the Opposition leader said he had no regrets.
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EABL said the investment is in line with efforts against illicit brews and key to the company and farmers.
The company also noted the ease of doing business in the country.
The investment
will see about 110,000 youths from the county get jobs.
The President noted EABL is targeting
sorghum farmers from counties Kisumu, Siaya, Migori,
Nyeri, Machakos and Tharaka Nithi counties.
Uhuru also noted that one of his administration's main aims is to empower both the public and private sectors.
"We all want prosperity to be shared by all Kenyans but this is not a day's work. It takes time and we must carry on with the good work," he said.
"Our strategy remains very clear in creating jobs for the younger generation. As we look ahead to the next face of delivery through industrialisation, Kisumu will receive record breaking investment of Sh15 billion from EABL to establish a model state brewery that will see 110,000 employed".
Uhuru noted that for the last four years, more than 150 companies have invested in the country, 20 of which have established their headquarters within Nairobi.
He said EABL, Bidco, GIZ , Ceramics and Keroiche have played a key role in creating jobs for the youth.
The President added the companies have promised to pump more money into development that will see even more youths employed.
Uhuru said Eldoret town has been identified as an economic zone and that foreign investors already pumped more than Sh220 billion into various development projects.
"As we shift from subsistence agriculture to agribusiness in a new trans-formative way,
I encourage more farmers in this region to become part of KBL’s growth story, to benefit from this plant and the opportunity it offers," he said.
"This will lead to an increase in the demand for sorghum, which will
in turn
support small-scale farmers and ensure utilisation of irrigation schemes in arid and semi-arid
regions."
Uhuru said projections show the plant will lead to increased utilisation of sorghum from the current 20,000 metric tonnes to around 40,000 in the next five years.
This will see the number
of contracted farmers grow from 30,000 to around 45,000 and their earning exceed Sh6 billion
annually over the next decade, Uhuru said