A new cotton ginnery nearing completion in Mpeketoni, Lamu County, is fast reshaping the region’s agricultural landscape, drawing young people back to farming and restoring trust between generations over the use of ancestral land.
The ginnery, a joint venture between the National Government, private investor Thika Cloth Mills (TCM), and the County Government of Lamu, is part of a wider national strategy to revive Kenya’s once-thriving cotton industry.
According to the ginnery contractor, Duncan Mungai, the facility is 95 per cent complete, with installation of modern ginning machines set to begin shortly by next month February.
“Once operational, the ginnery is expected to employ hundreds of local residents, the majority of them youth,” Muigai said.
Cotton Development Officer at Thika Cloth Mills Hesmond Olweny said Mpeketoni was deliberately chosen due to long-standing security and logistical challenges that have affected cotton farmers in the region.
“For years, cotton from Lamu had to be transported through volatile areas all the way to Meru, Makueni, and Kitui, exposing transporters to insecurity threats, including Al-Shabaab attacks. With this ginnery in place, that burden will be eliminated,” Olweny explained.
And unlike other parts of the country where young people have struggled to access land due to parental reluctance, Mpeketoni is witnessing a rare shift.
Chairman of the Lamu Farmers Cooperative Society Migwi Mwangi said the construction of the ginnery, assurance of a ready market, job creation, value addition, and an increase in cotton prices from Ksh52 to Ksh72 per kilogram have renewed confidence in the crop.
Mwangi said these developments have encouraged elders to entrust their sons and daughters with family land.
“The cotton industry has restored sanity in our communities. Parents are now confident handing over land to their children because they can see tangible returns,” Mwangi said, adding that youth participation has injected discipline and hope into the sector.
Youth leader and cotton farmer Jennifer Wambui described the ginnery as a game changer for the region. She said many young people have abandoned alcohol and drug abuse to focus on cotton farming and related agribusiness opportunities.
“This project has given the youth purpose. Cotton is no longer seen as an old man’s crop but a viable economic activity,” she said.
Consequently, Chairman of the Lake Kenyatta Farmers Cooperative Society Njuguna Kangangi noted that Lamu County now boasts four active cooperative societies with over 10,000 cotton farmers, making it the leading cotton-producing county in Kenya.
“The ginnery has attracted investors and transformed Lamu into an emerging industrial hub,” Kangangi said.
Lake Kenyatta Cooperative Society, the largest in the county, has the highest number of young cotton farmers totalling to a thousand, many of whom serve as officials within the society. Its chairman, Joseph Kamgangi, said the deliberate inclusion of youth has accelerated the revival of cotton farming.
“With the energy, innovation, and commitment of the youth, cotton farming has picked up very fast. BT cotton, in particular, is performing much better than other varieties,” Kamgangi said.
