The manufacturing facilities in Nakuru that had once provided employment to thousands of members of the local community have not been operational for more than two decades. Those facilities that have remained standing have been sold or turned into plastic waste recycling centres.
Plans of constructing an industrial park
The ongoing geothermal project in Menengai is giving hope for a revival of Nakuru. Sosian Energy is in the final stages of preparing for the commissioning of a 35-MW geothermal power plant that will initially inject 22 MW of power to the grid. A second 35-MW geothermal power plant by Globeleq has also broken ground.
Development of geothermal power has created an enabling environment in Nakuru County for local and international investment, not to mention the share in rates that the County will earn from the power plants.
The Geothermal Development Company (GDC), the state-owned developer that drilled the wells and manages the Menengai steam field, has set aside about 4000 acres of land on the edge of Menengai Hill for the construction of an industrial park. Facilities in the park will benefit from clean and inexpensive geothermal energy for agriculture, aquaculture, industrial processing, and tourism. Governor Susan Kihika has also pledged to inject funding of Sh 1 billion (approx. USD 7 million) into the industrial park.
The establishment of this industrial park is expected to create more jobs and bring back the glory days of Menengai and Nakuru as an industrial hub.
Nakuru as an attractive manufacturing hub
The city of Nakuru is hopeful that its proximity to the Menengai geothermal project will attract investors with the promise of cheap electricity. Of particular interest are the companies that abandoned the region previously.
“The government is keen on lowering the cost of power. Electricity from the Menengai power plant will only cost US 7 cents. This will help spur economic development and reduce the cost of doing business,” assured the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The history of Nakuru as an industrial hub provides a unique advantage, in that the city has a ready-made workforce. Menengai also has no wildlife, which will pave the way for small and medium enterprises to thrive well. Nakuru is much closer to Menengai, compared to the 30-kilometer distance between Olkaria and the town of Naivasha.
