The Kenya Wine Agencies Limited (KWAL) held ground-breaking ceremony for its state-of-the-art Ksh. 4 billion manufacturing facility in Tatu Industrial Park, in the 5,000 acre Tatu City Special Economic Zone. The new facility is expected to enhance KWAL’s local value creation and make a significant contribution to the company’s long-term growth strategy.
This investment marks the first production facility opened by KWAL in more than two decades. KWAL was privatised in 2015 and that is the point at which Distell became a shareholder. This enabled the company to unlock opportunities in improving brand capabilities, increased product portfolio and expanding its regional reach with additional Depot Centers in Eldoret and Meru towns.
KWAL shareholders include Distell, Africa’s leading producer and marketer of spirits, fine wines, ciders and ready-to-drinks, which has majority shareholding. The Government of Kenya is a significant shareholder through the Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC).
KWAL Managing Director, Lina Githuka added, “The new facility will host a state-of-the-art factory with enhanced capacity to produce aspirational brands to meet ever evolving consumer tastes; a world class customer distribution center as well as offices that will provide employees with a superb working environment. The KWAL Tatu City facility will be an eco-friendly space having leveraged on go-green construction and systems to promote recycling and re-use to enhance responsible production and consumption within the facility.”
Kuria Muchiru, KWAL Chairperson, stated during the event, “The aspirations of Kenya’s Big 4 Agenda and Vision 2030’s economic pillar to boost local production, expand to the regional market and take advantage of global market niches has been the guide for our operations and expansion for KWAL. Our new plant is expected to greatly enhance production capacity, as well as our competitiveness within the East African region.”
Speaking on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization and Trade, CAS Lawrence Karanja called on manufacturers to take up opportunities to enhance their manufacturing capacities.