Kakamega County is one of the counties in the former Western Province region. In fact, Kakamega town used to be the headquarters to Western Province. Kakamega County has its headquarters in Kakamega town. The current governor is Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya who is serving his second and last term in office.
Kakamega County has some amazing investment opportunities that one can invest in with as little as 10,000 shillings. All you need is to familiarize yourself with the county, choose what fits your investment plans, follow the due procedures in terms of requirement and have everything in motion.
Kakamega is still among few counties that have some amazing unexploited potential in terms of investments. Sectors such as tourism, mining and agricultural still have amazing opportunities that one can invest in.
Hostels
Kakamega County is home to Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) with more than 20,000 students. The university can only provide accommodation to at least 5,000 of them. The rest are left to look for accommodation outside the institution.
Kakamega town, especially areas near the university are in dire need of hostels for students. Those already with hostels are making a kill for their investment. In fact, some landlords have converted their rentals into hostels and not a single month they have gone without tenants.
The hostel business is something that will not be going away soon provided the university is still in existence. Just make sure that your hostels are affordable and give the students the comfort that they need.
If you have a piece of land in Kakamega, the better but if you don’t, you will need to have a heavy bank account. The land around the institution has skyrocketed and it is not easy to find an affordable one unless you are among the few lucky people still living.
The good news is that the university is always willing to partner with private developers to give the students accommodation. For instance, after you complete your hostel, you can lease it out of the university at an annual contract.
What you need:
- A piece of land, if you don’t have one, you will have to buy
- Money to buy land, construct and get all the approvals from the county government
- Make your hostel accessible and affordable
Read:
- Investment Opportunities Worth Betting Your Savings in Bungoma County
- Kiambu County: Nairobi’s Bedroom and Hub for Untapped Investment Opportunities
- Investment Opportunities in Nairobi County that You Can Start for as Low as 10,000 Shillings
Rentals
If you are looking for an investment that will give you some good money every end of the month, then invest in rental houses. The demand boils down to the high demand from the students at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology as well as from other institutions in town.
Some students don’t like staying in hostels. They like staying where they enjoy independence and freedom and rental apartments often give them what they need.
For the rentals, you don’t need to set them within the town. You can choose the outcasts such as Amalemba. Clients will still come to you. The demand is so high that some residents have converted their own houses and living rooms into rentals.
Bars/clubs
Am not saying that Kakamega County (Kakamega town) is a drinking town but people are making a living from the liquor business. Again, thousands of students in this town are always clubbing and drinking, especially on weekends.
Just carry out a feasibility study to find a nice place to rent and set up your club or bar and have the business rocking.
Tourism
Kakamega has some amazing tourist attraction sites but the sector is still not as vibrant as in other counties such as Laikipia County. There are very few tour guide firms in the county to provide facilitation for those who would like to visit some of the sites.
Some tourist attraction sites include:
- Kakamega Forest Reserve
- Nabongo Cultural Centre
- The Crying Stone (Ikhonga Murue)
- Rondo Retreat
- Lamanis Haven
- Ilesi Pottery Project
- Mawe Tatu
- Lirhanda Caves
Currently, most of these places are just visited by locals, with very few nonresidents visiting them. There is little amplification and marketing of the places. If you need to invest in them, you can partner with the County Government and set us a business.
Setting up a brewery
If you are looking to make some money, starting a brewery is a good idea in Kakamega County. None of the alcohol sold in the county is produced in the county. Starting a small brewery that will produce a standard and high-quality beer will give you some good money.
Raw materials are available. Sugarcane is in plenty in Kakamega County given the ailing sugar sector in the region. Wheat is also available in the neighboring counties such as Trans Nzoia, Kericho and Uasin Gishu.
The county government is also willing to support those willing to set up industries within the county.
Mining
There is gold in Kakamega County. Yes. You heard it right. There is gold. The mining, however, has not been commercialized and locals still use handmade tools to dig tunnels into the ground in search of the precious metal.
There are two ways you can make man from the unexploited gold in Kakamega County:
- Partner with the county government provides machinery, search for the gold and mine it. Promise to give jobs to the locals. Something to note, however, is that the gold is found in people’s farms and homes and you will need to have some money to compensate them.
- Be patient and wait for the locals to get whatever little they dig out, buy from them then sell it to other buyers who will pay at a higher price. This, however, is not the best option for it takes time.
Read:
- A New Hope for Kakamega County
- The Gold Mines of Bushiangala in Ikolomani Constituency
- Gold in Ikolomani Kakamega County
Commercializing bullfighting
Bullfighting is a tradition in most parts of Kakamega County. It brings thousands of people together. However, the sport is still done for fun with participants still expecting handouts from politicians who attend the events once in a while.
Well, you can partner with locals and invest in the sector. You can start bullfighting, Sacco. It sounds crazy. Right? Nothing crazy if you want to make some money. You can also start a tournament where people pay to have their bulls participate and win cash. It will give you some cash and you will be giving back to society as well.