Mars Wrigley Confectionery Opens Ksh.7 billion Production Facility in Kenya

The Mars Wrigley Confectionery’s new state of the art 7-billion-shilling manufacturing plant in Athi River, Machakos County has officially been inaugurated.

President Uhuru Kenyatta hailed Mars Wrigley for putting up the new factory citing the need to invest in additional manufacturing capacity to create more jobs for Kenyans.

“To create the desired jobs, we need to invest in existing and new industries that will grow our country’s manufacturing capacity from the current eight-point four percent to fifteen per cent of the Gross Domestic Product by 2022,” President Kenyatta said in a speech read on his behalf by the Cabinet Secretary for Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, Hon. Peter Munya.  

He added that the government was particularly keen on working with the private sector to achieve that goal.

The new factory which is constructed on a 20-acre piece of land in Mavoko, Machakos County has replaced the company’s old plant that was located in Nairobi’s Industrial Area. The company’s investment in a new facility whose construction started three years ago, was driven by the need to meet growing demand for the firm’s products in Africa, while improving capacity and technology.

“With the rapidly expanding middle class and youthful population, we see our products becoming more and more integrated into people’s lifestyles.” Said Mr. Duncan McCulloch, Regional Managing Director for Mars Wrigley Confectionery.

The facility is expected to have a major impact on the Kenyan economy in terms of job creation both directly at the factory and indirectly through its expansive value chain as well as boosting the country’s exports. It will serve a growing market of more than 14 countries – that includes Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti, DRC and South Sudan.

Mr. McCulloch commended President Kenyatta for his efforts in boosting local manufacturing through his government’s Big Four Agenda saying it will contribute to the expansion of employment and business opportunities for Kenyans, while cementing the country’s position as a leading industrial hub in Africa.

“Increased capacity and efficiencies made possible by this new facility will contribute significantly to the scaling up of our already existing entrepreneurship program. So far, over 1,000 youth and women from across the country have benefited from the program we call Maua. With the support from government and other partners, we hope to increase the number to 5,000 in the next two years.” Added McCulloch.

Maua is the company’s entrepreneur accelerator program designed to empower individual entrepreneurs as well as create large networks of micro-entrepreneurs and micro-distributors. 

Mars Wrigley Confectionery is a global leader in the manufacture of chewing gum, confections and chocolates. The new factory will produce popular Mars Wrigley Confectionery brands, including Big G®, PK®, Doublemint® and Juicy Fruit®. Additionally, the company will also look to expand a wide range of their chocolate portfolio in the market.

Just recently, the new factory was recognized for adopting green building strategies and practices in its design and construction, becoming the first manufacturing plant in Eastern Africa and one of the few in Africa to achieve LEED GOLD certification status.