Lodwar, May 6, 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)

Turkana County is courting a private investor to commercialize its abundant aloe vera resources, Deputy Governor Dr. John Erus has revealed.

Speaking when he hosted an investor seeking to aggregate aloe vera products from Turkana and 17 other counties, Dr. Erus reaffirmed the county’s commitment to helping local farmers benefit from the value chain.

“Through the Directorate of Natural Resources, the county has already mapped key players in the aloe vera sector. We are now organizing them into cooperatives for large-scale production,” Dr. Erus told the investor.

He noted that the county has put infrastructure in place to support farmers directly, citing the recent operationalization of a Farmers Training Center as key to building capacity for emerging markets in the aloe vera sector.

“Our mission is not just to announce the arrival of an investor. We also intend to tap the expertise of state agencies such as the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Forestry Research Institute for technical support and sustainability,” he said.

The investor indicated Turkana could host a regional processing plant, citing the high quality and abundance of aloe vera in the county.

“As investors, we want Turkana to join the list of counties contributing directly to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries by unlocking the aloe vera value chain,” he said.