Thousands laid off as four factories shut down in Kwale

At least four factories have closed in Kwale County in the last six months citing high operational costs and taxation, leaving thousands unemployed.

A fruit processor and a leather factory are the ones to wind up their operations in the county barely three months after Base Titanium and Love Well Company closed down.

The Feast Foods, which processes mangoes, pineapples and passion fruit juice for export, was shut down five months ago.

The factory in Diani employed two hundred and fifty workers, and its management has in the past said it spent Sh1.4 million to process fruits in a day.

“The company helped us secure food, clothing, and funding for school fees. I have six children, and I depend on this factory. It's a hard time for us,” said Kinyavu Jeffa, who we found at the gate with other former workers. 

Hamisi Mohammed, a college student and former employee, stated that he worked part-time at the factory to earn some pocket money.

Along the Likoni-Lungalunga highway farmers and small-scale traders have now lined up small stands to sell their mangoes during this harvesting season after the firm closed.

Mohammed said that in the past the farmers sold the fruits to Feast Foods, which used to buy one hundred million fruits.

“Since it was closed, our children are still at home; we can not buy books or uniforms. The post-harvest loss is now the biggest problem,” lamented an elderly Fatuma Mazuri.

Just a stone's throw away is another firm, Romika Shoe Factory, a subsidiary of Josef Seibel based in Germany, which has also wound up.

When we featured it two months ago, we found about four hundred workers busy, some sewing, some packaging. This workforce is now jobless after the factory shut down due to high taxes.

“We are privileged to be four years old. Two things about us are that we make the most likened shoes in Africa, and we are the largest consumer of grade one leather in East and Central Africa,” said Tom Gichangi, the general manager, during our previous interview.

Another company that closed shop recently is the Base Titanium mining company after the exhaustion of minerals.

The company employed over a thousand workers from Kwale. With the ongoing closure of factories, there are concerns that the crime rate may rise.