What defines Nakuru?

Some people may say it is the tourist attraction sites and an all-round party culture.

However, back in the 80s and early 90s, everyone knew Nakuru for its Industrial prowess.

Read: A railway, a queen and Nakuru town

From an early onset, Nakuru showed great promise of becoming one of the biggest industrial hubs in the country owing to the number of industries that it hosted.

Sadly, the late 90s and early 2000s witnessed a departure of many industries in Nakuru, including Valley Bakeries, Nakuru Oil Mills, PAC Industries and Rift Valley Refrigerators.

In 1992, for example, one of the oldest bakeries in Nakuru, Elliot Bakeries left the town.

Another significant moment was the collapse of Eveready factory.

Every morning on our way to school, as we passed by the Eveready round about, you would see a large crowd of people going to work at the factory.

Also Read: The incredible journey of Nakuru's transport sector

Through the fence, one would see the beehive of activities characterized by a large number of people moving up and down.

For many of us at the time, we did not know the finer details of what was going on within the walls.

All we knew was that these people made batteries, which was considered a precious commodity back then, and we wanted to work in this big mysterious factory as well.

Fast forward to 2014 and it was announced that the Eveready Company was closing shop following an influx of dry cell batteries from China into the Kenyan market.

Many of those who worked at the company who were still in disbelief would come and sit along the perimeter fence of company hoping the company would one day open its doors to them.

An arial view of Menengai oil refinery in Nakuru city.

Photo credit: COURTESY

Even though many companies have come and gone there are those that have stood the test of time. One such company is Menengai Oil Refineries which was established in 1988 and is still operational to date.

Related: The day Nakuru got its first mall

Others have also come up with many choosing Salgaa as their preferred location.

For instance, on January 28 2020, former President Uhuru Kenyatta presided over the official opening of Simba Cement.

For many this was a sign of hope as the opening of this company brought with it 1000 jobs giving hope to the jobless in Nakuru County.

sanyabret@gmail.com

The sad death of multi-million factories that made Nakuru an industrial hub

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Bret Sanya