Korokwony women milling plant roars back to life after seven years
Prominent Narok farmer Hugo Wood (second right) receives the Korokwony Millers lease agreement from the women group leaders led by the secretary Recho Langat (centre) and witnessed by former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto (right). Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
Korokwony Millers, a women-owned processor in Bomet County, has undergone a transformative change after seven years of dormancy.
Constructed with Sh150 million in grants from the Chinese and Kenyan governments, the mill has now been leased to private investors, marking a significant development for the region’s agricultural landscape.
Solid Millers, owned by a prominent farmer and former national chairman of the Kenya Grain Growers Association, Hugo Wood, has taken over the operational reins of the plant under a lease arrangement.
The agreement, signed by Mr Wood and officials of the women’s group led by Ms Recho Langat, outlines the terms of operation.
After an undisclosed number of years, the mill will revert to the women’s group with more than 3,000 members.
Bomet County injected Sh18 million into the mill in 2014, which saw the group re-launch production of Angaza flour.
However, it ceased operations in 2018 due to mismanagement. The lease agreement with Solid Millers is seen as a positive step toward revitalising the mill and creating opportunities for local farmers.
“We have not sold the property but leased it out,” said Ms Langat who is the group’s secretary.
With a capacity to process 550 bags of maize per day, the mill had been operating below capacity due to a lack of raw material and a low capital base held by the group.
The renewed operations are expected to source maize from Kericho, Narok, Bomet, and Nakuru counties, providing farmers in the region with a ready market.
Ms Lang’at expressed satisfaction that the company, dormant for seven years, would now roar back to life under Solid Millers.
Founder chairperson of the society, Ms Priscilah Tesot, said shares of deceased members had been transferred to their children in the spirit of continuity and articles of association.
Mr Wood described the signing ceremony on the outskirts of Bomet town as a historic day, pledging to renovate the mill promptly and operating it for the next few years.
As the plant begins its operations anew, the collaboration with private investors holds promise for the future of farming in the region, which has borne the brunt of maize lethal necrosis disease for the past 15 years.
