Saturday 05th September, 2026 06:44 PM|
President William Ruto has declared that Kenya will no longer export raw materials for processing abroad, saying the government will instead push for local value addition to create jobs and retain more wealth in the country.
Speaking in Magadi, Kajiado County, on Saturday, September 5, 2026, Ruto said Kenya will move away from an extractive model where the country earns a small share from its natural resources while foreign companies reap most of the benefits.
“We will no longer continue to export raw materials from Kenya. All our raw materials, including Magadi here, they are going to be added value in Kenya,” Ruto said.
The president said the policy would see Kenya establish industries capable of processing locally available minerals and other raw materials before they are sold in domestic and international markets.
He specifically pointed to Magadi, saying the resource would be used to support the development of glass factories and chemical industries in Kenya.
According to Ruto, such investments would create employment opportunities for young Kenyans while also providing a market for local talent and expertise.
“We are going to have glass factories in Kenya. We are going to have chemical industries in Kenya. We are going to hire Kenyan young people. We are going to use Kenyan talent,” he said.
Ruto targets raw material exports
Ruto said the government’s position was informed by the need to ensure Kenya and other African countries benefit more from their natural resources.
He argued that exporting unprocessed resources leaves African countries with only a fraction of the wealth generated from their commodities, while value is created elsewhere.
“I want to challenge anybody. That was my statement in the G7. I spoke on behalf of the continent of Africa, but I am in charge of Kenya. So, in Kenya, hatuwezi kuongea, we are going to do it,” he said.
The President said Kenya would instead work with investors and development partners to establish processing industries within the country.
He maintained that the government was not opposed to investment but wanted investors to participate in value addition and industrialisation, rather than simply extracting and exporting resources.
‘We don’t want extraction anymore’
Ruto said Kenya’s natural resources should be used to build domestic industries, generate employment and increase the country’s share of wealth from its commodities.
“We do not want extraction anymore,” he said.
He questioned the economic logic of a system where Kenya receives a small portion of the proceeds from its resources while most of the value is captured elsewhere.
“Mimi nataka niwaulize: nyinyi mnataka ati tuendelee kuexport raw materials, sisi tunapata 5%, wao wanapata 95%? Si hiyo ni ukumbavu? Hiyo haiwezi kuendelea,” he said.
The remarks come as the government seeks to promote industrialisation and local value addition as part of its broader economic transformation agenda.
Ruto said the shift would apply to Kenya’s raw materials generally, signalling a tougher government position on the export of unprocessed resources and a greater push for domestic manufacturing and processing.
