President William Ruto has launched a Sh70 billion cement and clinker project in Kitui County. The plant is planned for Ngaaie, in Mwingi North.

The project is expected to make Kitui a centre for cement production. It is also intended to turn the area’s limestone deposits into jobs and business opportunities.

At Tuesday’s ceremony, Ruto said local clinker production would reduce imports. He said it would also create skilled jobs and strengthen Kenya’s manufacturing sector.

“By producing clinker locally, we retain more value within our economy, create skilled jobs, build technical expertise, strengthen our industrial capacity, and create wealth in Kenya,” he said.

A Decade in the Making

Devki Group chairman Narendra Raval said the project had been planned for about 10 years. The area’s limestone deposits were cited as a key reason for choosing Ngaaie.

“We started dreaming of putting up this plant about 10 years ago,” Raval said. He added that earlier efforts by other companies to establish a cement plant in the area had not succeeded.

Raval recalled visiting the area when roads were scarce and much of the land was bush. He said limited employment had left many young people without opportunities.

“I used to come here when it was totally msituni. Nilikuwa natembea na mguu, hata hakuna barabara,” he said, describing the area’s earlier conditions.

He argued that job creation could help address some of the social challenges facing local communities. The plant’s wider impact, however, will depend on the jobs created and the extent to which local residents and businesses benefit.

Jobs and Skills for Young People

Ruto urged Devki to work with technical and vocational training institutions. Apprenticeships and practical training, he said, should help young people gain skills needed by the industry.

Local businesses were also encouraged to seek opportunities to supply goods and services to the plant. Such links could spread some of the investment’s benefits beyond the factory itself.

The number of jobs expected to be created, the project’s construction timetable and the scale of local procurement were not detailed in the supplied report.

Government Push for Local Production

Ruto said the government introduced the Export and Investment Promotion Levy on imported clinker in 2023 to encourage domestic production and investment.

He pointed to Devki’s clinker plant in Sebit, West Pokot, which he commissioned in April 2024. According to the President, that facility can produce 6,000 tonnes a day.

Another project was also announced. Ruto said a groundbreaking ceremony for Bamburi Cement’s expansion in Matuga, Kwale County, was expected in about three weeks. The planned clinker plant would have a capacity of 5,000 tonnes a day.

The projects form part of the government’s wider effort to expand local manufacturing and reduce reliance on imported industrial materials.

Cement Output on the Rise

Ruto reported that Kenya’s cement production rose by 18 per cent, from 8.85 million tonnes in 2024 to 10.44 million tonnes in 2025.

Production reached 7.62 million tonnes in the first eight months of 2026, compared with 6.68 million tonnes over the same period a year earlier, he said.

The President also pointed to demand expected from major construction projects. The proposed Dangote refinery in Lamu, he said, would require more than two million tonnes of cement during construction.

Ruto further cited the government’s housing programme, with 303,910 homes at various stages of development, as well as investment in markets and student accommodation.

Questions Over the Benefits

The Kitui project is being presented as a way to create jobs, support local suppliers and add value to Kenya’s mineral resources.

Its longer-term contribution will depend on delivery. Employment figures, training opportunities, environmental safeguards and the share of contracts awarded to local firms will be important measures of its impact.

For residents of Ngaaie, the central question is whether the investment will translate into lasting economic gains. The project’s success will be judged not only by the cement it produces, but also by the opportunities it creates for the surrounding community.