Governor Anne Waiguru, during the groundbreaking of Kiumbu and Wamumu markets in Kirinyaga on September 11, 2025/ALICE WAITHERAThe Kirinyaga government is in the process of establishing the Sagana Industrial City to support agro-processing and boost the local economy.
The city includes an Export Processing Zone, a Special Economic Zone and the County Aggregation and Industrial Park. It will be fitted with warehouses, cold storage and other infrastructure to support agro-processing.
The park located in Sagana town is being established in partnership with the national government and sits on 250 acres of land.
Governor Anne Waiguru told residents on Thursday that the idea to establish an industrial city was conceived in 2018 when her administration drafted the Mountain Cities blueprint.
In the blueprint, the town was designated as the industrial hub even as many people laughed the plans off as just dreams.
“People thought those were just politicians’ games. They thought it was a joke,” the governor said.
The land, she said, had been grabbed by a private developer whom she took to court and won against.
Sagana Industrial Park that is over 85 per cent complete/ALICE WAITHERAAggrieved, the private developer filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal and sent numerous emissaries to convince the governor to stop pursuing the land.
“They told me if it was land I wanted, they’d give a part of it, but I told them that that land was needed for the development of the county.”
In 2021, the county government won the appeal and the title deed to the land was handed over to the administration.
The private developer, through collusion, had illegally acquired the land with officers working in the defunct Kirinyaga County Council.
Its recovery started the journey towards the establishment of the industrial city that is expected to create about 150,000 jobs, out of which 30,000 will be direct while 120,000 will be indirect.
It will support farmers by facilitating the processing, packaging and aggregation of farm produce for the local and export markets, reducing post-harvest losses and raising their earnings.
The city leverages on Sagana town’s history as an industrial hub, as well as its strategic location near a railway line and the Nyeri-Nairobi highway, making transportation of products easier.
In the 1970S and 80s, the town was famed for hosting coffee, leather, fish and flour processing industries and oil depots, timber yards and a vibrant entertainment industry.
It had the only train sub-station in the Mt Kenya region but was adversely affected by the gradual decline of the railway transport that began in late 80s which eventually stalled the growth.
Waiguru, who was speaking while commissioning the Sagana affordable housing project that will have 487 units, said the establishment of the city has silenced the naysayers.
“We’re here today for the affordable housing that will have three nine-storeyed blocks. These will be the tallest buildings in the county. God willing, we will all witness the transformation of Sagana town”.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru addresses Sagana residents during the commissioning an affordable housing project on September 11, 2025/ALICE WAITHERAThe project is expected to create at least 300 direct jobs and spur business for local suppliers, artisans and transporters.
“This is how we position Kirinyaga as a vibrant hub for investors and opportunities,” she said.
The governor also presided over the site handover and ground breaking of Kiumbu and Wamumu markets in Mwea.
The initiatives will directly benefit thousands of traders, families and jobseekers while anchoring the county’s broader industrial and economic vision aimed at providing opportunities for improved livelihoods for county residents.
Kiumbu and Wamumu markets that will serve about 700 traders combined upon completion are designed to replace the chaotic and unhygienic open-air trading spaces that have long defined small-town commerce.
Each facility will feature organised stalls, reliable utilities and modern waste systems as well as ICT hubs with free WiFi, food courts and crèche for use by mothers with babies.
“We are groundbreaking the markets as I had promised in my manifesto. We have allocated the land, and today we are fulfilling that promise. We have constructed 18 markets while 11 additional markets have been developed in collaboration with the national government.”
Waiguru said the two markets would directly link to the nearly complete the industrial park where farmers and traders will access value addition and processing facilities.
Kariti MCA Jeremiah Makimi lauded the governor for recovering the land, noting that it had restored confidence in local development.
“You have brought back hope in Kirinyaga and changed the face of our county,” he said.
