Lodwar – June 9th 2024 (Public Communication and Media Relations)

The Turkana County Department of Trade has urged all county government units to collaborate in accelerating the development of the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) project.

The initiative, a brainchild of the State department of Trade and Industry, aims to leverage agriculture and manufacturing for income generation, employment, and foreign exchange targeting the general population.

At a meeting involving all county departments for a presentation on the necessity of collaboration, James Lokwale, the Director for Trade and Enterprise Development, emphasized the critical role each department plays in the project’s success.

He highlighted the necessity of ensuring infrastructure such as water supply, electrical connectivity, internet access, and roads.

Like other counties, Turkana has designated land for the project at Kaatapakori, Monti area of Township Ward in Turkana Central.

Noting that the initiative had been expertly designed for sustainable exploitation of the entire value chain of agriculture and industry, Director Lokwale added that there was need for County departments to invest by budgeting for supplies to the project.

The trade team also facilitated a site visit to the proposed location and shared examples from other counties worth emulating.

Attendees included County Secretary Peter Eripete; county executives Paul Erukudi (Trade, Gender, and Youth Affairs), Patrick Losike Lokaimoe (Water Services) and Audan Leah Lokaala (Tourism, Culture, Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change).

Directors present during the meeting included Paul Lotum (Water Services), Jackson Lojore (Energy) Phoebe Ekal (Environment) and Turkana Central Sub County Administrator (Esther Kiyong’a).