Central counties gearing up to common trading bloc

MOMBASA, KENYA: Plans are at an advanced stage to bring together former Central province counties and Nakuru to form a trade block.
Nyandarua County could soon team up with nearby counties for trade, a financial expert has said.
Addressing the Third Annual Devolution Conference in Mombasa,Dr Martin Oduor-Otieno, Partner in Deloitte East Africa (DEA) and Senior Advisor in the Financial Services Industry (FSI) group, said this will enhance service delivery since the counties will be working as a team in terms of resource sharing.
''We are hoping governors from the interested counties – including Nyandarua - can sign founding documents on February 29. We are looking at 10 counties in all,'' he said.
The Aberdares and Mt Kenya region, he said, is fast catching up with trading blocs already set up by counties in other parts of Kenya, which have found them useful for economic growth.
''We are seeing counties use these blocs to catalyze and co-ordinate development across several regions, in addition to co-operation around contentious issues,'' he said.
DEA, he added, was helping county blocs in research and analysis, blue-print development and implementation.