Conference to unlock Bungoma county's potential

Bungoma will be in the global limelight this week as business magnates and policy-makers from across the globe converge in the county for an investment conference.

Already, hotels in Bungoma and the neighbouring areas are full and the transport sector is recording increased business. More requests to participate in the international event are still coming in, particularly from within the country.

Yet in the past, such a crucial event would only be confined at the national level, with Nairobi being the focal meeting point. Intermittently, Mombasa would also benefit.

Hosting a global business summit allows us to underscore the increasing economic dynamism of counties in Kenya, and, therefore, the role of Bungoma County as a dynamic player of this new order.

It is a testimony of a new geography of trade and investment, and counties in Kenya are driving this new trend.

Indeed, counties have become an important locomotive for regional and global economic growth. This is likely to continue given the steady pace at which devolved units are growing.

In the past three years, Bungoma County has undergone significant transformation. We have modernised our roads.

To date, my government has tarmacked roads in urban areas covering more than 28 kilometres and approximately 450 kilometres of murram roads have been done. We have also graded 184 kilometres of rural roads. Work on the Misikhu-Brigadier road has just started, opening up Bungoma for more business.

In the health sector, my government has so far renovated 24 rural health facilities, which are now benefiting more than one million people. Besides this, we have equipped 22 health facilities with assorted modern facilities.

In the water sector, the county government has invested more than Sh300 million in various community water projects. To date, more than 300,000 people have benefited from these projects in all sub-counties.

By the end of this financial year, more than 500,000 people will have benefited from the various water projects initiated by the county government. That is not all. We are determined to ensure Bungoma people have access to clean portable water within a radius of 100 metres by 2020.

When we assumed office in 2013, Bungoma had almost none of its street lights working; today, we have a total of 200 solar-powered and 368 national grid powered street lights working. These are spread out across the county. With the last-mile project, we expect power connectivity to every business and home by mid next year.

Today, Bungoma enjoys political stability, thanks to the cordial relations between the national and the county government. These factors have enhanced the region's business climate, prompting increased inflows in investments.

As we look forward to hosting the international conference in Bungoma County from tomorrow, I call on all businessmen to go for this new kid on the block; the one with a promising future. This is a green ground whose return on investment is almost guaranteed based on the huge market potential from within, the neighbouring counties and East Africa as a whole.

From the innumerable requests and inquiries that we have dealt with in the past one month, the Bungoma International Conference will be an extra-ordinary interaction.

Key investment opportunities that the county offers include infrastructure, ICT, energy, health, tourism, education and agriculture, among others.

Air transport, for instance, is important for this region because as it stands, the nearest airports are in Eldoret and Kisumu, both about two hours away. This will be a ripe platform for businessmen with a keen eye on air transport as we seek to expand and modernise Webuye and Bungoma airstrips.

Perhaps the pivotal element in this conference will be the signing of serious memorandums of understanding, which will ultimately bring about a turnaround in Bungoma. This will not be a lip-service conference. It will change millions of lives in Bungoma and Kenya as a whole.