Webuye Town gets new breath of life as paper mill begins operation

Rai Paper Mills in Webuye, Bungoma County has commenced production after a long delay.

President Uhuru Kenyatta led a much hyped grand reopening of the paper-manufacturing factory, formerly known as Pan Paper, on December 15, 2016 promising to give life to Webuye Town, which has been dormant since the factory went under.

Leaders, as well as disgruntled residents from Western Kenya, have repeatedly accused the Jubilee Government of using the project to hoodwink electorates to vote it back in the upcoming General Election.

The factory management has attributed the long delay to massive repairs required before real production could commence.

“We had quality problems and we have rectified all of them. The roof sheeting was completely damaged, we have removed that old asbestos roofing sheeting for so many sections and we are fixing new Mabati sheeting,” said the company’s managing Director.

The MD further said that the company is currently fully running one out of the four productions lines and is expecting to revive the factory to full capacity in one-year time.

“Right now we are producing brown paper. In that brown paper different kinds of qualities are there,” he said.

Brown paper, which is majorly produced through cycling, is commonly used in industrial packaging of goods.

Bungoma County Governor Ken Lusaka faulted opposition political leaders of discrediting the government for the ‘wonderful job’ of revive the factory.

Lusaka said that the factory has so far employed 400 workers in the already functioning cycling section and is set to hire another 2000 when it increase business to full capacity.

“We want to tell those doubting Thomas[es] that let them look for something else to talk about. I think what they should be asking about the gratuity promised to the people of this area because that is what is important,” said Governor Lusaka.

Lusaka disclosed that the plant halted business shortly after reopening due to serious vandalism of company property that had taken place and rusty machines.

“Pan Paper had been down for more than nine years and therefore there has been renovations that had been going on and we had a serious vandalism of the water pipes,” said Lusaka.

The governor said that the Ministry of Finance is finalizing plans to compensate former employees of the factory.