Kisumu Polytechnic’s Ksh 1.2B textile factory nears completion

Kisumu National Polytechnic is targeting operationalize its Ks 1.2 billion textile factory in January next year as preparations for project enter the final phase.

The contractor is expected to complete outstanding works by the end of this month, ahead of the project’s completion in December 2026.

The facility, funded by the World Bank through the East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP), integrates production, training and research under one roof.

It is designed to host the entire cotton-to-garment value chain, spinning cotton into yarn, weaving yarn into fabric and manufacturing finished garments.

The complex also includes training workshops, research and innovation laboratories, technology transfer centres and a hostel.

The National Polytechnic Chief Principal Wycliffe Okumu said the institution is developing a detailed implementation plan to ensure the units, operate as a single industrial and training ecosystem.

“We want to fully operationalize the value chain by coming up with a detailed implementation plan,” Okumu said during an inspection tour by a World Bank technical team on Monday.

“Students will gain practical experience by learning inside a working factory, securing raw material is now the immediate priority,” he added.

Okumu said the polytechnic is engaging cotton farmers, political leaders and Members of County Assembly across Nyanza and Western to look in reliable supply of seed cotton for the spinning unit.

To strengthen industry linkages, the institution has signed 26 MoUs with sector players, among them Rivatex East Africa, Thika Cotton Mills and Ethiopia’s Kombolcha Textile Share Company.

The partnerships will support staff training, technology transfer and skills development for learners.
Okumu said the polytechnic also plans to open its facilities to other TVET institutions through staff capacity-building and student access programmes, positioning Kisumu as a regional hub for textile technology.

To sustain operations beyond donor funding, the institution, intends to incubate micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) around the factory to drive value addition, create jobs and generate revenue.

However, power and waste management remain major hurdles. While sections of the plant will be solar-powered, heavy industrial machines will require more than solar alone, added Okumu.

The Chief Principal said they were exploring an off-grid energy solution to cut reliance on expensive grid power, adding that plans were also underway to build an effluent treatment plant to handle liquid waste from industrial processes.

Consequently, a design developed internally by its building and construction department was pending approval by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

Okumu added that the proposed plant will double up as a research project, adding that the 60-year-old institution has the technical capacity to implement the project and rehabilitate its ageing infrastructure.

The institution governing Council Chairman Judah Ochieng said they must now craft a clear framework for production, maintenance and management and the textile centre of excellence.

“We have had challenges with construction, supervision and procurement of contractors. These challenges delayed operationalisation. The big question now is how we will run this factory?,” posed Ochieng.

“From January, the challenge is what we are producing. We must put pen to paper on how we will run and maintain the facility,” he added.

EASTRIP National Coordinator and TVET Director Archer Arina, who led Monday’s inspection, said issues flagged in earlier assessments had been addressed paving way for the operationalisation of the project.

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