President William Ruto has challenged developers of the Mombasa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to move from signing agreements to building factories, creating jobs and producing goods for local, regional and global markets.
Ruto said the SEZ must help Kenya break from a pattern of exporting raw materials and importing finished products at higher prices.
“For too long, Kenya and Africa have exported raw and minimally processed commodities, only to import them later as expensive finished products,” he said.
He spoke on Tuesday, September 8, after the County Government of Mombasa, Mombasa Free Zone Ltd and DP World signed a Tripartite Deed of Agreement for the development of the zone.
Ruto described the agreement as a step towards transforming Mombasa from a transit point for imported goods into a manufacturing, processing and logistics hub.
“Every unprocessed commodity that leaves our shores carries with it the possibility of a factory that could have been built here, a job that could have been created here and an income that could have sustained a Kenyan family,” the President noted.
The Mombasa SEZ will provide space for manufacturing, warehousing, assembly, processing and export-oriented businesses.
The 535-acre zone in Jomvu sits near the Port of Mombasa and connects to the Standard Gauge Railway and the Northern Corridor.
Its location gives investors access to Kenya and regional markets under the East African Community (EAC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
Ruto also pointed to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as an opportunity to reach a continental market of more than one billion people.
“Mombasa is uniquely positioned for this role. It must no longer be simply a place through which goods pass; it must increasingly become a place where goods are made, processed, assembled, branded, and exported,” he said.
The Government plans to offer SEZ investors a preferential electricity tariff of Sh10 per kilowatt-hour as part of efforts to lower production costs and improve the competitiveness of locally manufactured goods.
Ruto cited the Dongo Kundu Bypass as part of infrastructure investments intended to improve links between Mombasa, the airport and South Coast.
The planned completion of Mwache Dam is also expected to improve water security in Mombasa and Kwale while increased electricity generation will support industries that require high energy use.
However, Ruto said the success of the SEZ should not be judged by the number of factories alone.
He said the project should create opportunities for farmers, transporters, contractors and small and medium-sized enterprises while providing employment opportunities for young people.
“Our young people must not stand outside the gates of industrial transformation. They must design it, build it, operate it, and prosper from it,” he added.
The zone is projected to attract substantial investment and create tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs when fully developed.
Ruto warned the parties involved against allowing the project to remain at the agreement stage and demanded clear implementation timelines and actual investment.
“To all the parties signing this agreement today, my message is simple; move with speed. Let us move from signatures to implementation; from plans to infrastructure; from commitments to investment; and from investment to factories, exports, and jobs,” he noted.
The Government is also consolidating the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and SEZ programmes under an integrated framework covering investment promotion, industrial development and export growth.
Ruto said Kenya would welcome investors who bring productive capital, technology and skills, strengthen local suppliers and create decent jobs.
“Build here. Process here. Manufacture here. Employ here, and export from here,” he said.
The President said the long-term goal was to make Mombasa both Kenya’s gateway to the world and a production centre for Africa and global markets.
“Let us build in Mombasa. Let us make in Kenya. And let us sell to the world."
