World Bank gives contractor ultimatum to vacate Sh1.2 billion Kisumu Polytechnic textile factory site

The World Bank has issued the contractor building the Sh1.2 billion textile technology factory at Kisumu National Polytechnic a 33-day notice to leave the site, with the deadline for departure set for December 31.

The project is funded by the World Bank through the East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP). The facility includes a production unit for spinning, weaving and garment making, aimed at boosting the regional cotton industry.

National Project Coordinator and Director for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Archer Arina, who has been overseeing World Bank-funded projects at Kisumu National Polytechnic, said the contractor, Dreamtech Construction, must leave the site by December 31 as directed.

Arina, who led an EASTRIP monitoring team on a site visit to the polytechnic, said some of the issues earlier raised about the project had been addressed. He emphasised that timely and accurate work is critical in demonstrating prudent resource utilisation and meeting World Bank and National Treasury requirements and targets for projects such as the Regional Flagship TVET Institute for Textile Technology (RFTITT) at the polytechnic.

The director, who was taken around the project by Chief Principal Wycliffe Okumu, was shown some of the improved areas of the facility. Okumu said the safety of learners will be taken into consideration, with many parts of the new facility set to be solar-powered. He also confirmed that the contractor had been advised to leave the site by the end of the month, adding that environmental concerns previously raised about the project had also been addressed. The delegation was shown a number of areas that had been improved, including plastering works and other adjustments.

The facility centres on the Sh1.2 to Sh1.3 billion textile technology factory, featuring dedicated units for spinning, weaving and garment production. The campus expansion also includes a specialised RFTI training centre and a 300-bed student hostel equipped with accessible facilities for persons living with disabilities (PWDs).

The initiative equips instructors with technical competencies while training over 22 local trainers in machinery and textile technology, and harmonises 204 regional TVET qualifications across Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania to facilitate regional labour integration.