Shs15bn factory lies idle two years after commissioning
By David Awori
Residents of Busia town have raised concern over the Sh15bn value addition factory that continues to lie idle, two years after it was commissioned by the president Yoweri Museveni
The value-addition facility, a component of Busia main market was constructed using funding from the African Development Bank under the Markets and Trade Improvement Programme (MATIP2) for improved grain handling.
The angry residents say they have not benefitted anything from the factory over the past two years, blaming government for not conducting a thorough needs assessment before embarking on such projects.
However, Johnson Wafuba, the Busia assistant Town Clerk attributes the delayed operationalization of the factory to the lengthy process of securing a constructor to run the facility.
Wafuba has given assurance that once the contractor is identified the facility will soon be operational.
Meanwhile, Busia RDC Michael Kibwika is optimistic that once it starts operating, this modern factory will go a long way in improving the lives and incomes of the local people in Busia and surrounding towns.
