2,000 Jobs, Cheaper Fertiliser: Inside Ruto’s KSh 100 Billion Green Project in Nakuru
Kenya is taking a big step towards food self-sufficiency after President William Ruto launched the construction of an $800 million (KSh 100 billion) fertiliser plant in Olkaria, Naivasha.
The plant, a joint venture between China’s Kaishan Group and Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), will produce 480,000 tonnes of fertiliser annually and create over 2,000 local jobs.
During the groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, November 3, 2025, Ruto said the project will shield Kenyan farmers from volatile global prices and reduce the country’s dependence on imported fertiliser.
“I broke ground for the construction of the KenGen-Kaishan Olkaria Green Fertiliser Plant in Nakuru County, a defining moment for Kenya’s green industrial transformation,” Ruto said. “This life-changing initiative will create over 2,000 jobs, cut our import bill by more than KSh 60 billion each year and put Kenya at the forefront of green growth and climate-smart innovation in the continent.”
According to the president, the aim is to make fertiliser more affordable and stable in price for farmers. Kenya’s fertiliser imports have already declined for two years in a row.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that between January and June 2025, the country imported 443,701 tonnes of fertiliser worth KSh 25.63 billion, lower than the 445,857 tonnes valued at KSh 27.71 billion during the same period in 2024.
Ruto said local production was both economic and strategic necessity. “Every shipment is an expense to our national coffers and a missed opportunity for our citizens. Today is a big step towards fertiliser production towards resilience and self-sufficiency,” he said.
In recent years, the government has introduced several measures to support farmers including cutting fertiliser prices in July 2023 from KSh 7,500 to KSh 2,500 for a 50kg bag. The administration also doubled the fertiliser import allocation from four million bags in 2023 to eight million in 2024.
Ruto said such interventions are key to food security and cost of living. “Empowering farmers is the best way to ensure food security and lower household expenses,” he said.
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2,000 Jobs, Cheaper Fertiliser: Inside Ruto’s KSh 100 Billion Green Project in Nakuru