Ruto kicks ‘Uhuru’ Italian investor from Kenya
3 min read
Ruto administration kicks out an Italian investor given a tender to establish a granite factory by the Uhuru Kenyatta government
Ruto administration kicks out an Italian investor given a tender to establish a granite factory by the Uhuru Kenyatta government.
An Italian businessman who was awarded a contract to build a multimillion-dollar granite factory in Vihiga county has been expelled by the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs through the State Department of Mining.
The mining ministry is currently seeking new bidders to build the granite mill, according to a notification shared by Vihiga Governor Wilber Ottichilo.
The 2021 tender had been issued to the Italian investor by the previous administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“The Ministry invites expression of interest from qualified bidders to establish a Granite Processing Plant in Vihiga County, Kenya. The identified investor will undertake granite mining to provide inputs to the Processing Plant,” the new tender invite read in part.
Ottichilo claims that the proposed plant will be built in Bunyore West Ward, Emuhaya Sub County.
The previous investor had already walled in the property here where he had been awarded land to build the granite plant.
The National Government and Vihiga County did not provide an explanation as to why the previous company’s tender was canceled.
In the new tender floated, the winning investor will build, operate, and transfer the processing plant to the government following the expiry of the agreed timeline.
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The government declared that it will expedite the acquisition of necessary authorizations and licenses for granite mining near to the present facility in order to attract additional investors.
The investor will also reap billions from the granite plant as the government will encourage the use of the processed granite slabs in all public construction projects
In the previous contract, the government had picked the Italian investor following an international expression of interest that had been floated by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining.
The new investor must demonstrate a capability to raise funds sufficient for the investment with balance sheets audited by a reputable firm for the last 3 years as well as have at least three years of experience in mining, mineral processing or value addition.
The new development was made just a week after President William Ruto toured the region to launch various industrial and infrastructural developments.
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