Kitale Woman Asks Asian Community To Lease Business Premises To Locals To Help Grow Town

• Martha Waithera accused a section of landowners in Kitale Central Business District of clinging to property they were not willing to develop
• She argued that this trend was inhibiting the business vibrancy of Kitale town and challenged the landowners to rent out or lease properties they were unable to develop
• Waithera challenged Asian community landowners in Kitale who were unwilling to develop and rent their premises to pick business growth lessons from investor Ibrahim Ambwere

Michael Ollinga is a journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 10 years of experience covering courts and crimes, special reports, and current affairs in Kenya.

A Kitale-based businesswoman and philanthropist has claimed that the unwillingness of property owners in the town to lease business premises to local traders is inhibiting growth.

Business spaces in Kitale town

Martha Waithera lauded Trans Nzoia governor George Natembeya for going out of his way to create a business-friendly environment in the county.

She, however, observed that Natembeya's efforts would not solely get Kitale back to its position as a fast-growing town if not complemented by local investors.

"I want to thank the current governor for doing his best to raise our bar. During the two terms of the past regime, the county was lagging in development. He is working extra hard to turn things around economically, but I pity him because we, as the people, are letting him down," Waithera said.

Kitale town business vibrancy

She argued that Kitale was ahead of many urban centres like Kakamega, Eldoret, Bungoma, and Lodwar in terms of business vibrancy and development, but most of those towns have overtaken the headquarters of Trans Nzoia in the recent past.

She blamed the situation on the rigidity of some businessmen occupying prime properties in Kitale CBD and other urban spaces across Trans Nzoia.

"For any town to grow, it has to be vibrant in business. We need investors to have an opportunity to start businesses for us to attain the desired growth.

The urgent problem that needs to be resolved is that some business premises owners are unwilling to develop their spaces and are not ready to lease them to local businessmen," Waithera pointed out.

She accused a section of Asian tycoons in Kitale of refusing to develop their prime lands, adding that those constructing business premises were unwilling to lease them out to local business people.

Ibrahim Ambwere's property in Kitale

Waithera challenged the landowners who could not develop their properties or rent them to local business people to adopt investor Ibrahim Ambwere's approach that transformed Kitale, brought in many investors, and changed the town's economic power.

"We saw Ambwere build business towers, which local businessmen and investors from other towns quickly occupied. Other landowners in the CBD who built business spaces or leased them out for development had businessmen scramble for space, which is good for business competition," added Waithera.

She challenged them to be open to leasing their business flats to locals instead of coming up with discouraging leasing and renting terms.

"The government also needs to look into the lease agreements of the properties that have not been developed for long because they are limiting the business vibrancy of Kitale," added Waithera.

Natembeya has been pushing to cut business costs in Trans Nzoia county through a review of the Finance Bill 2023-2024.