Kenya Association of Manufacturers members this week participated at an investment conference in Machakos County. Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua on Thursday May 16, 2013 outlined his strategic plan for the county of Machakos in the first ever Investment conference in the County. The two-day event took place in Maanzoni Lodge and attracted over 1000 attendants amongst them foreign investors from Asia and Europe. The former government spokesman promised investors that the county will facilitate and not frustrate business. The county has plans to set up one stop shops for investors to register their businesses in the county without encountering bureaucratic procedures. The offices which will be digitally interconnected will be up and running in 3 months. “We will do the running for you even to Nairobi,” Dr. Mutua said. Investors intending to set up in the county were also promised free land for certain ventures. The county government intends to utilise private public partnerships (PPPs) and Build – Operate - Transfer (BOT) models to finance infrastructure projects. During the conference, the county ministers presented their agendas for the county and invited investments in the area. Machakos County is rich in raw materials used in the construction industry such as sand and is home to a number of building and construction industries. Sand harvesting is already underway but the government wants to do this in an environmental friendly way. There are plans to harness solar power by setting up wind and solar farms to add on to the electricity in the national grid. The government has plans to prospect for minerals such as coal and uranium. To deal with security issues, the governor also promised to set up a forensic research centre where police can carry out DNA testing and other services which will make it easier to catch criminals. Police vehicles will be stationed in every sub location as part of the counties emergency response services. The county unveiled plans for a new Machakos city and took participants to visit the new site before hosting them to a cocktail at the proposed site. Situated within a short distance of Nairobi city and Konza Technopolis, the county has strategically placed itself to be the ‘dormitory’ of both cities and has plans to build houses for inhabitants of the two cities in the new area. Machakos currently has a population of 1.2 million.