Kenya: Keroche Industries became, by launching new plant, Kenya

Alcoholic beverages manufacturer, Keroche Industries became last week the Kenya's second largest brewery with the capacity to produce 7,000 bottles per hour. This happened with the launching of a Sh275 million plant that will enter mineral water and fruit juices market.

"This is the latest version of a fully digitised bottling plant and compares with the best in the world," Mr Joseph Karanja, the firm's CEO said.

Keroche is a company that began with Sh7 million capital but is currently estimated to be worth Sh500 million. Mrs Tabitha Karanja, the firm's Managing Director said Keroche's staffing level had also grown from the initial 10 to 500.She asked also the Government to increase market surveillance to curb sale of illicit products to unsuspecting consumers.

Mr David Githere, the chairman of the Kenya Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Keroche's latest investment should provide business opportunity to a number of industry related sectors."It leads to even stronger competition that will in effect cater for a variety of consumer tastes, drive prices down and offer alternatives in a market that has a lot of imported products," he said.

Mr Githere asked the Government to provide large industries with tax re-bate in key areas as cost of electricity for instance. Githere said neutral alcohol used by spirit manufacturers was being taxed at 300 per cent more than in Uganda "where we would most likely export."

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