KAKAMEGA TEA FACTORY SET TO TRANSFORM PEOPLE’S LIVES

The process of construction of the much awaited Kakamega Tea Factory has commenced after the government, on Tuesday held a pre-tender site visit with the prospective bidders in Shinyalu.

It is expected that by 2022 Tea Brands from Kakamega will be a household name on the international market. This is a major milestone in the County’s quest to create employment opportunities for the swelling population and guarantee farmers better prices for their green leaf.

The factory will have two parallel processing machines for both black (CTC) and orthodox tea. For black tea, the process is cut, tear and curl (CTC) before undergoing fermentation, while for orthodox tea the leaf is pounded by rollers and does not undergo fermentation. You choose your taste.

The tea factory, one of Governor Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya’s flagship projects, is expected to begin crushing in 64 weeks. 18 companies have expressed intent to be considered for construction of the project.

The County’s CEC Member for Trade Mr Kassim Were has urged farmers in the identified Sub-Counties of Ikolomani, Khwisero, parts of Lurambi and Malava and the host Shinyalu to take advantage of the factory by improving their tea bushes tirelessly in order to not only improve their lifestyles but also to strengthen the economy of Kakamega and the country at large.