President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to open sh 7 billion confectionaries in Kajiado County in Athi River.
The facility is expected to transform the business environment in Athi River and create business growth.
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®.
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.
Once operational, the Wrigley’s factory will produce about 7.8 billion pellets of chewing gum annually in a move that is expected to grow the brands market-share in Kenya.
Euromonitor International has ranked Wrigley East Africa as the leader in Kenya’s chewing gum market with 87 percent stake in 2017, followed by Mondelez International (five percent) and Lotte Confectionery Company (four percent).
Wrigley opened its first factory in Kenya in 1972, which is the multinational’s only manufacturing plant in Africa, serving Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Ms Mars said the company’s new plant, which is being built on a 20-acre piece of land, is in response to growing opportunities in these markets.