Boost for conferencing as county gets first four-star hotel

The hospitality industry in Machakos County has got a major boost following the opening of a new four-star hotel. Governor Alfred Mutua, who officially opened the facility on Saturday, lauded Gelian Group of Hotels Chairman Alfonse Kioko for boosting the county's conferencing facilities.

"You have put Machakos County on the global map of the hotel industry. This is the tallest building in the town," said the governor.

Dr Mutua said the county government is planning to have some of the tallest buildings in Africa in the next few years, as devolution grows. Kioko said the eight-floor hotel has a 95-bed capacity with furnished rooms, conference halls and a swimming pool among other facilities.

The governor encouraged investors to inject more cash in the hotel industry to meet the growing demand, adding that the county has a lot of potential, which, if exploited to the maximum, can boost the economy.

"We have great opportunities and we only need to think big, act big and move together in realising our development dream," he said.

The governor asked national and county governments to collaborate in tourism, noting that tourism can develop projects with direct impact on the lives of citizens.

"My government will use whatever it has at its disposal to fast-track development in an effort to attract investors and tourists to our county," he said.

"We want to fix our infrastructure, security, water and other amenities to attract as many investors as possible."

He observed that the county government will start the construction of an 8-km dual-carriage stretch from Machakos town towards Nairobi in the next two months. This is as they wait for the national government to work on the remaining stretch from the Machakos junction, following a presidential promise by the head of State when he visited the county in February this year.