Laikipia seeks British Chamber of Commerce partnership to unlock potential

Laikipia has sought the help of the British Chamber of Commerce to unlock development opportunities in the county.

The county government, through the Laikipia County Development Authority, has partnered with the chamber to tap into the agency’s expertise.

They will collaborate in joint venture projects where the British Chamber of Commerce will bring on board financiers and the county provide incentives such as land.

LCDA chairman James Mworia said they have already assessed areas with opportunities for collaboration. The areas include affordable housing, tourism, agriculture, healthcare and water provision.

"The aim is to unlock potentials that have been untapped in sectors that are crucial to residents," Mworia said.

He said that the British Chamber of Commerce will finance the projects. priority will be given to upgrading of hospitals, rehabilitation of water pans and turning idle lands into productive.

“We want to promote our level 4 hospitals to level 5 so we stop referring patients to other hospitals outside the county. We also want to rehabilitate water pans which will then be given to water companies to manage and distribute the water to farmers,” he said.

Mworia, who is also Centum Investments CEO, spoke on Wednesday during a meeting with the British Chamber of Commerce officials at Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi.

British Chamber of Commerce chairman Graham Shaw said they intend to invest in life-changing projects that will cost billions of shillings. He said they will only invest in feasible and sustainable projects that can turnaround the lives of the residents.

“Money is available and what we need to identify are bankable projects. We need to conduct feasibility studies to establish their viability and sustainability,” Shaw said.

He said talks with the county were still in the initial stages but another meeting with the Governor Ndiriitu Murithi had been planned.

Shaw said similar projects would be rolled out in other counties whose governors had shown willingness. They are Kisumu, Bungoma, Makueni, Taita Taveta and Kwale. The counties have already made their presentations on possible areas of collaboration.

Edited by Peter Obuya