Mombasa, Kenya — Rebecca Miano, the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Investments, Trade, and Industry, has pledged to eliminate bureaucratic delays in the allocation of land to manufacturers in the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone (SEZ). This comes after the transfer of authority over the land from the Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA) to the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), which has led to delays in land allocation.

According to the Kenya News Agency, Miano expressed concerns about the six-month delay caused by this transition. “I will have a discussion with KPA to expedite the allocation of lands to investors,” she stated. The Cabinet Secretary emphasized the urgency of making the land allocation process more efficient to attract manufacturers.

During her visit to the Milly Glass Manufacturing Factory in Mombasa, accompanied by Principal Secretary for Industry Dr. Juma Mukhwana, CS Miano discussed various aspects of the manufacturing sector. She highlighted the factory’s contributions to the economy through employment and its use of local materials, while acknowledging the challenges faced by local manufacturers, particularly in terms of production costs.

To address these challenges, Miano indicated that a national dialogue aimed at reducing the cost of manufacturing in Kenya is needed. “That’s the only way we are going to achieve our target of increasing our manufacturing to GDP, which is currently at seven per cent; we have a target to increase that to ten per cent,” she said.

Miano also welcomed Milly Glass Manufacturing’s plans to expand its plant in Mombasa, including the production of pharmaceutical bottles, a product currently imported into the country. The factory plans to relocate to the Dongo Kundu SEZ in January 2024, with operations slated to begin by 2025. “It will support the Universal Health Coverage and the cost of medicines and their availability,” Miano added.

Mohamed Rashid, Director of Milly, expressed his commitment to cooperate with the government to meet future targets. “We are going to work with the government to make sure that by the year 2030, the GDP of manufacturing will be 20 per cent, as per the directive of the President,” said Rashid, noting that the high cost of energy remains a challenge but also an opportunity to explore alternative sources like solar energy.