Reckless talk could scare away investors, warns CS

 Kinyanjui said investors and tourists come to benefit all Kenyans and reckless statements that might scare them are not welcome.

 “These investors are coming for everybody. The people who will be employed here and other facilities will also be coming to benefit Kenyans wherever they come from,” Kinyanjui said at the Taifa Gas facility at the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone on Thursday.

 He spoke after touring both the Taifa Gas and Milly Glass Limited facilities at Dongo Kundu SEZ in the company of Special Economic Zone Authority CEO Kenneth Chelule.

 He was reacting to a statement by former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua who on Sunday said tourists and investors should suspend their visit to Kenya until after the 2027 general election.

 Gachagua said this is because their safety cannot be guaranteed because of the many goons who he said have been allowed by the current regime to operate in the country with impunity.

 However, President William Ruto has denied this saying goons will be dealt with the way the government dealt with terrorists and bandits, who are no longer a major threat to the country.

 CS Kinyanjui on Thursday said while landing at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa on Thursday, he saw two dream-liners chartered aircrafts carrying approximately 500 tourists straight from Europe land.

 “So, statements that would make that kind of business be endangered are reckless and uncalled for. Ours is to call for restraint and to demarcate what is national interest and what we can compete around,” he said.

 He said Kenya has actively and deliberately structured its policies to suit investors from across the world.

 That is why some of the markets like China, Tanzania, Egypt, the Americas, Europe, among others have shown huge interest in investors who are coming to Kenya.

 Nearly 30,000 tonnes of gas will be offloaded at the Taifa Gas facility, both for the Kenyan market and for export.

 “We believe this is going to be a game changer because it is a value addition process. We were otherwise going to Tanzania and other places for refill of gas. So, now people will be coming here,” the CS said.

 Kinyanjui said the role of government is to create the necessary incentives for private sector to invest and there is likely more investment to come from more private sector players.

 “This area (Dongo Kundu) will become a major logistics site to cater for the domestic and export market,” he said.

 The Taifa Gas facility is expected to be completed in the next four months, when it will be ready for commissioning.

 There are other investors at the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone who are at various stages of implementation.

 Mombasa and Lamu are strategic ports of East Africa and the government is taking advantage of the current geopolitics which seem to favour the East African Coast not only for shipment but also for transshipment to other countries.

 “This facility among others is proof that the East African market is ripe for repositioning and also capturing the global market that we want to attract from across the world,” Kinaynjui said.

 Chelule said government agencies now all work together to facilitate investment in SEZs so that investors do not have much movement when seeking approvals.

 “We bring the services down to the site where the investors are,” Chelule said.

 He noted that the Dongo Kundu SRZ has three anchor tenants who have been allocated land and works are at various stages of completion.

 However, he said there is a pipeline of up to 100 other potential investors who have shown interest in the Dongo Kundu SEZ who are being vetted before they are allowed in.

 One of the biggest investors at the Dongo Kundu SEZ is Arise IIP.

 “One thing you must know about investment is that you have to do due diligence and it takes a bit of time,” the CEO said.

 He noted that the interest in Dongo Kundu SEZ is the biggest in Kenya.

 “Dongo Kundu is the most attractive and we think it is going to be the premium and model SEZ in the country,” Chelule said.

 Taifa Gas site manager Antony Musyoka said they are currently doing hydro tests, which are mandatory for pressurized vessels.

 Musyoka said government agencies like Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority and Kenya Bureau of Standards have witnessed the first tank being tested.

 “Apart from the tank firm, we are also doing the pipeline. All materials have been received, the contractor is on site, the construction has commenced and KPA has also given us all the things that are required,” Musyoka said.