Kirinyaga County shares conference goodies with her neighbours

Nokras Hotel in Murang'a town where some of the delegates are booked. [Boniface Gikandi, Standard]

The Sixth Annual Devolution Conference is not only a blessing for Kirinyaga but also the neighbouring counties.

Already, counties such as Murang'a, Embu and Nyeri are doing booming business, thanks to the conference.

Delegates who have been unable to find accommodation in Kirinyaga have been booked in hotels in the neighbouring counties.

More than 6,000 guests are expected to attend the conference, which opened yesterday at Kirinyaga University grounds. It will close on March 8.

Business entities in the region expect, and have started, to reap big as guests flock their premises.

Entrepreneurs in Kirinyaga have made arrangements with their counterparts in Murang’a and Embu to take in delegates who will miss accommodation in the county.

Handlers of the delegates have been searching for the best hotels in the region after facilities in Kirinyaga became fully booked.

Police patrols

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru yesterday said the ground was set for the conference and that all necessary arrangements had been made.

"Security has been improved, backed by 24-hour police patrols," she said.

Nokras Riverine Hotels & Spa, which lies on the border of Murang'a and Kirinyaga counties, is one of facilities accommodating a high number of guests due to its proximity to the conference venue. Nokras Hotel, Murang’a, has also reaped big from the conference.

The management of the hotels, led by John Karanja Tebere, said they were prepared to handle a huge number of guests.

Nokras Riverine has 101 luxurious rooms, inclusive of 23 cottages, with private swimming pool. 

Hotels in Murang’a, he said, had the capacity to accommodate all the guests who would miss space in Kirinyaga.

Last month, Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Oparanya, his deputy Mwangi wa Iria and Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru toured Nokras Riverine after they inspected the conference venue.

They were accompanied by officials from the national government in monitoring the county's preparedness to host the conference.

Ready to accommodate

Murang’a County Finance and Planning Executive David Waweru said there were many hotels in the county ready to accommodate the guests.

Some of the places in Murang'a where the guests are expected to visit are Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga Shrine, said to be the cradle of the Agikuyu community.

Tuthu Catholic Church, where the missionaries established a church before spreading out to other parts of the country, is also expected to be viewed by many of the visitors