VIHIGA, Kenya – As a result of the government giving an investor the site to begin constructing a Sh2.5 billion granite processing factory in Emuhaya, Vihiga County, Kenya is about to become one of the region’s biggest granite producers.
Y News has established that this will be the country’s largest granite processing facility, with construction expected to take twelve months.
According to the investor, Equip Agencies Limited, the plant will be operational by July 2025.
State Department for Mining Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi, who presided over the site handover of a groundbreaking event, said the ruling Kenya Kwanza government had sustained a campaign to establish value-addition facilities for processing local minerals.
“The Vihiga Granite Processing Plant is a pointer to our belief that the trajectory we have adopted on value addition will bolster job creation, open up the sector for utilization mineral processing professionals, promote local enterprises and support community development,” the PS said.
How many jobs the Vihiga granite plant will create
The PS added that projections indicate the plant will create over 500 direct jobs for local youths and thousands more indirectly by cascading the benefits of the granite value chain to other sectors, including business enterprises, transport, warehousing, and other essential support services.
“While we want this facility to exploit the granite resource that is abundant in this region, we want, above all, the people and the community to be the biggest beneficiaries through jobs, skills transfer, and community development,” PS Mwangi said.
Top county leaders attended the groundbreaking event, including Vihiga Governor Wilbur Ottichilo, his deputy Wilberforce Kitiezo, Vihiga Women Representative Beatrice Adagala, and several Members of the County Assembly.
In his address, Governor Otichilo described the granite plant as a long-awaited game changer that will transform the fortunes of county residents.
“This project will save the country billions of shillings annually used to import granite products. As the county leadership, we pledge support for the plant since it would transform the socioeconomic lives of thousands of residents in the region,” Otichillo added.
What is the significance of granite
Y News understands that granite is a critical mineral in the construction industry. It is used to make kitchens, countertops, tiles, terrazzo, mantlepieces, and monuments, as well as roads and buildings.
Meanwhile, PS Mwangi reiterated that, according to preliminary geological data, the plant is set to use the granite resource as raw material. The granite resource occupies a land area of 250 square km and is estimated to be in the range of trillion tons.
“The Vihiga granite plant is the third multi-billion shillings value-addition facility the government established in two months. In June, the department handed over the site to an investor who is building a Sh 5.8 billion gold refinery in neighbouring Kakamega County,” the PS explained.
The commencement of construction works for the plant marks the long wait for the plant, whose history has been marked by excessive delays.
