US and Kisii County team up to boost agriculture, mining

The U.S. government has moved to collaborate with the Kisii County government to revamp the agricultural sector and mining industry in a bid to improve food security and create job opportunities. It is for this reason that the US ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, is on a two-day fact-finding mission concerning biodegradable banana fibre sanitary pads made by the EcoBana company in the outskirts of Kisii town, agricultural produce including bananas and avocado value addition, soapstone mining and sunflower farming, among others. Speaking at the county headquarters, Ms. Whitman noted that the US government had spent 80 million dollars on various sectors in the region. During the two-day visit, Whitman will tour the EcoBana factory, KTRH, and Soapstone mining industries at Tabaka in South Mugirango. Kisii Governor Simba Arati said Kisii was glad to have close ties with the American Embassy and was looking forward to the collaboration in revamping all the agricultural sectors, including coffee, tea, and avoc ados. The collaboration, Governor Arati said, will boost the Kenya Kwanza government's bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which is geared towards ensuring improved Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), food security, and better healthcare. Source: Kenya News Agency