1. Agricultural Food Processing Industries
Located where raw materials are produced because they require immediate processing e.g. tea factories, sugar factories, milk Processing plants in the leading dairy farming regions e.g. Eldoret, Nakuru and Kiganjo, coffee factories in coffee growing areas e.g. Kiambu, Nyeri, Embu, fruit canning e.g. Del Monte in Thika and Kenya Orchards Company in Mua Hills in Machakos, Maize milling e.g. Unga Ltd in Eldoret Kisumu and Nairobi, Brewing industries e.g. East African Breweries at Ruaraka, KMC plants at Athi River, etc.
2. Agricultural Non-Food Processing Industries
Cotton ginneries, sisal factories, Bata Shoe Company in Limuru, cigarette making e.g. mastermind and BAT, Lumbering industries e.g. Pan African Paper Mills in Webuye near extensive pine plantations in Turbo And Webuye, textile industry e.g. Kisumu Cotton Mills in growing areas of W. Kenya.
Non-Agricultural Manufacturing Industries
Many are located in urban areas where there is a large ready market, reliable power supply and adequate labour force
- Cement factories at Athi River and Bamburi.
- Oil refining at Changamwe in Mombasa.
- Steel rolling mills in the industrial area of Nairobi where scrap metal is available.
- Central glass company at Kasarani.
- Clay products industries near Ruiruand Githunguri near sources of clay.
- Vehicle Assembling industries which import car components and join them to make cars e.g. General Motors in Nairobi
- Vehicle Assemblers in Mombasa.
- Pharmaceutical industries which manufacture medical products e.g. Glaxo Smithkline and Beta Health Care in Nairobi.
Cottage Industries
Industries involved in making products particularly in homes using hands and simple tools.
Characteristics
- Locally available materials are used.
- Capital infested is small.
- Most of the products are sold to the local market but few are exported.
- Skills are acquired informally.
- Use of hands and simple and sometimes advanced tools.
- Usually involve an art or skill possessed by a person to produce items that are in demand in the neighbourhood.
- it‟s labour intensive.
- Very few items are made because the market for items is usually small.
Examples of Cottage Industries
Pottery
- Cottage industry in which pots and flower vases are made using clay.
- Its practised mainly in eastern and central provinces and by women.
- Examples of areas are Kwale and Muranga.
- Wood and Stone Carving
- Involves curving of wood and stone into various shapes of animals, humans, etc.
- Wood carving is practised in Kitui and Machakos while soapstone (soft metamorphic rock) carving is done in Kisii.
- Some products are sold locally while the rest are exported with some being bought by tourists as souvenirs (reminder).
Weaving
-Involves using sisal, dry palm leaves dry papyrus, nylon fibres etc to make products such as
baskets, mats, and fish traps etc.
- Baskets mainly known as Ciondos are mainly done by Agikuyu women and are sold locally
and to tourists.
- Weaving is also practised along the coastal region where dry palm leaves are used to make
baskets, mats, etc.
- Other cottage industries are such as those making use of scrap metal to make metal
boxes, wheel barrows, energy saving jikos, rain harvesting gutters, poultry harvesting
equipment, swords, knives, spears, jembes, iron bells and jingles and boat making common
among communities living around L. Victoria and along the coast.
Jua Kali Industries
- The most common and popular cottage industry.
- Jua kali practitioners include those who are employed in all informal sectors of the economy
such as shoe repairers, tailors, carpenters, watch repairers, barbers, mechanics, and tyre-menders,
- Jua kali industries are found in all urban centres.
- The most common activity is reprocessing old scrap metal to produce useful products listed
above.
- The government has realised the importance of the industry and is encouraging its
development in the following ways:
- The ministry of Trade and Industry has set up a department to promote this industry.
- KIE provides loans to Jua Kali industry for the purchase of materials.
- KIE has put permanent structures/sheds where the artisans can operate at low costs.
- The local authorities have set aside land for use by Jua Kali artisans
- Jua Kali artisans have been encouraged to form cooperatives to assist in the marketing of their products.
Importance of the Jua Kali Sector
- Has created employment opportunities to many people who would otherwise be jobless offering them a means of livelihood, alleviating poverty.
- It has helped to raise the standard of living of many Kenyans who rely on it for income.
- It utilises materials that would otherwise be thrown away to make items.
- Jua Kali products earn the country substantial foreign exchange when they are exported to COMESA countries.
- The industry produces cheaper goods than those produced in the formal industries.