Meru County – The potato farming community in Meru County has received a significant boost with the unveiling of a new cold room storage facility, a development that promises to reduce produce wastage and ensure better pricing by allowing sales at optimal times. This facility, located in Ngusishi, Buuri West sub-county, represents a major advancement for local potato farmers who have historically faced challenges due to inadequate storage options.
According to Kenya News Agency, a potato farmer from the area, the introduction of the facility is a long-awaited solution to the problem of low prices driven by immediate sale pressures. Farmers like Mugambi previously had no choice but to sell their potatoes at undervalued prices, fearing spoilage due to poor storage. “During the harvesting period, we have many brokers all over the area who buy potatoes at their preferred prices. Farmers usually have no option but to sell them at poor prices lest they will all rot due to lack of proper storage,” explained Mugambi.
The facility, which was officially commissioned by President William Ruto last week during his development tour of the region, has been met with enthusiasm from the farming community. Fridah Kathure, another local farmer, expressed her plans to expand potato cultivation now that safe storage and favorable selling conditions are assured. “We will now get back to our farms and work hard without any fears of losses following the commissioning of the cold room facility that we have been yearning for,” said Kathure.
Boasting a capacity to store 2,000 metric tonnes of potatoes per year, this state-of-the-art facility incorporates advanced technology to maintain optimal storage conditions for the produce. Designed to serve over 14,000 farmers, it features advanced grading and sorting equipment, significantly enhancing the competitiveness of Meru County potatoes in both local and international markets.
Simon Chelugui, the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs Development, present at the launch, emphasized that the cold storage project demonstrates Kenya’s productive capacity and the Government’s dedication to sustainable solutions for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in agriculture, particularly towards achieving food security goals.
The facility is part of a larger investment of Shs300 million covering Kisii and Nyandarua counties, aimed at minimizing post-harvest losses, ensuring the economic viability of potato farming, and creating competitive, sustainable jobs along the value chain. The collective impact of these three projects is expected to increase the income of smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs involved in potato and vegetable production.
The event was also attended by Agriculture and Livestock Development CS Mithika Linturi, State Department for MSMEs Principal Secretary Susan Mang’eni, Micro Small Enterprise Authority board members led by Chairman James Mureu, Director General Henry Rithaa, and Meru County Governor Kawira Mwangaza.
Nairobi: Njuki King’ori, a prominent realtor and General Manager of the Kenya Professional Realtors Association (KPRA), has called for the Kenyan government’s full implementation of the rent-to-own model under the Tenant Purchase Scheme (TPS) to enhance the Affordable Housing Program in the country.
According to Kenya News Agency, this model is pivotal in broadening the scope of the government’s initiative aimed at revolutionizing home ownership in Kenya. In the rent-to-own arrangement, an agreement is made between the government or developer and the tenant, whereby the tenant pays an agreed-upon deposit, occupies the house, and then pays rent over a specified period until they gain full ownership.
King’ori highlighted the significance of this model as a solution for many Kenyans who may find it challenging to pay in cash or secure credit from financial institutions. He pointed out the difficulties faced by the average citizen in accessing mortgages due to requirements like a saving history and credit rating. “It’s a challenge for a common Mwananchi to access a mortgage from the banking sector,” he stated, emphasizing the complexity of the mortgage process.
Commending the government’s efforts in constructing low-cost houses through the Affordable Housing Program, King’ori noted that prior to this initiative, mortgage options were primarily available only to the affluent. He encouraged financial institutions, organizations, and corporations to collaborate with the government to further reduce housing costs, making them more accessible to all Kenyans.
Despite efforts to lower costs, King’ori acknowledged that factors such as high material costs and taxes have kept prices relatively high. He mentioned the rising costs of raw materials like cement and stone, and the shift by some developers to prefabricated materials, which have also become expensive.
The realtor called upon institutions in the real estate sector to construct more affordable houses and offer them through the rent-to-own model, providing additional options outside the government’s program. Under the Affordable Housing Program, the government has offered various payment options for the units, including cash, mortgages, and rent-to-own through the TPS over a 30-year period.
For Kenyans to be considered in the Affordable Housing Program (AHP), they are required to register either by dialing *832# or visiting the Boma Yangu Portal through the E-Citizen platform. Applicants must save towards a deposit of 10 percent of the total cost of their preferred house to be eligible for allocation once the unit is complete. The government aims to construct at least 200 affordable housing units in every constituency in Kenya during the first phase, with many units expected to be completed by the end of this year.