Ruto breaks ground on KSh70B cement plant that will create 3,000 jobs in Kitui
Devki Group’s Ngaaie factory will harness the region’s limestone deposits to drive local manufacturing and cut Kenya’s import bill
By David Kimani
President William Ruto yesterday broke ground for a KSh70B cement and clinker manufacturing plant at Ngaaie in Mwingi North Constituency, Kitui County, developed by Devki Group, which will create 4,000 construction jobs and employ more than 3,000 Kenyans permanently upon completion in August 2027.
The plant will process Kitui County’s abundant limestone deposits into industrial output, anchoring a regional manufacturing base in an area that has historically exported raw materials without capturing downstream value. Ruto framed the investment as central to his administration’s strategy of reducing Kenya’s dependence on imported cement and positioning the country as a net exporter within the East African region.
“Through strategic investments such as this, we will strengthen local manufacturing, reduce reliance on imports and turn Kenya into a leading exporter in East Africa and beyond,” Ruto said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
For Mwingi North, a constituency where large-scale industrial employment has been scarce, the plant represents a structural shift — converting geology into livelihoods.
Some of the moments as captured in pictures
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