By Tony Wafula
In a strategic move poised to reshape Bungoma’s economic landscape, Governor Kenneth Lusaka has unveiled ambitious plans to partner with Chinese investors on coffee exports and agro-processing for the upcoming industrial park at Sang’alo in Kanduyi Constituency.
On Thursday, Governor Lusaka met with Chinese investors and key players in the coffee market from Fuzhou Province to explore and foster economic cooperation. The talks centred on three key pillars: expanding Bungoma’s coffee export capacity to the Chinese market, attracting Chinese investment in the county’s upcoming agro-industrial park infrastructure and partnering with local investors in value chain processing.
“Bungoma has immense untapped potential in agriculture, particularly in coffee farming and agro-processing,” Lusaka stated. Lusaka added, “We are now actively opening international doors to ensure that our farmers benefit directly from global demand, especially from a robust market like China.”
China, the world’s most populous nation, has shown a growing appetite for Kenyan coffee, particularly among its middle class.
By tapping into this expanding market, Bungoma aims to secure better prices and stable demand for its coffee farmers, who have often faced challenges such as price volatility and limited access to export platforms.
According to Governor Lusaka, the industrial park at Sang’alo, which is nearing completion, will serve as a hub for value addition, packaging and export of agricultural produce, especially coffee, maize and sugarcane, which are cash crops in the region and also aim to boost household incomes for farmers in the county.
In addition, the Ford Kenya Governor pitched Bungoma’s strategic location as ideal for infrastructure development, particularly the proposed Rironi-Mau Summit-Malaba dual carriageway, thanking China for its financial investment, which will ease transportation and enhance regional connectivity.
The partnership aligns with Kenya’s broader economic diplomacy strategy, which prioritises trade and investment relationships with emerging economies like China.
