KIE to provide Sh15 million loans to Siaya

SIAYA: Kenya Industrial Estates (KIE) has set aside Sh15 million, which will be availed to Siaya residents as entrepreneurship loans.

This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the institution and the county government.

KIE's Managing Director Julius Mokogi said the amount is intended for issuing of finance to entrepreneurs, capacity building and provision of market linkages to businesses.

"Our goal is to promote industrialisation, provide work sites and link entrepreneurs to markets. We are targeting people interested in the growth of the fish market and agricultural industrialisation," he said.

Governor Cornell Rasanga said the county would carry out resource mapping with the viwe of coming up with an industrialisation policy so that people can identify viable projects.

"It is important that a feasibility study is done, followed by capacity building before people can access the money. We want to see agriculture-based value addition, such as using fish scales to make hand bags. These are the types of projects we would like to see Siaya people take up," he said.

KIE has so far signed MoUs with 15 counties, four among them; Kisii, Nyamira, Migori and Siaya are from Nyanza region.