By Hassan Wekesa - Editor
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Russia, 28 October 2026 - President William Ruto on Wednesday has urged Russian investors to set up factories in Kenya, saying the country wants partnerships that create jobs and value rather than simply export raw materials.
Speaking at the Russia-Kenya Business Roundtable in Moscow on the periphery of the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit, Dr Ruto said the meeting should turn goodwill between the two countries into commercial results.
“We want partnerships measured not simply by agreements signed, but by projects implemented, industries established and jobs created,” he said.
He said Africa’s engagement with the global economy had for too long rested on exporting raw materials and importing manufactured goods, with much of the value and employment created elsewhere.
“This model has constrained Africa’s industrial development and denied our people the full economic benefits of their resources. It is neither sustainable nor acceptable,” he said.
Dr Ruto said trade between Kenya and Russia remained below potential. Bilateral trade was about $380 million in 2025, with Kenya exporting goods worth $52 million, mainly tea, coffee, flowers, fruits and vegetables. Imports from Russia totalled $330 million and included wheat, fertilisers, iron and steel products. Russian investment in Kenya is estimated at $22 million.
He welcomed Russian investment in mining and mineral beneficiation, transport, heavy engineering and manufacturing, and said Russia’s expertise in fertiliser production and agricultural machinery could raise Kenya’s farm productivity.
The President presented Kenya as a gateway to East and Central Africa, citing a population of 55 million, a GDP of $136 billion and economic growth of 5.3% in 2025.
He said 93% of the country’s electricity comes from renewable sources and that Kenya is mobilising $40 billion for infrastructure over the next decade.
Through the African Continental Free Trade Area, he said, investors can reach 1.5 billion people across a continental economy valued at $3.7 trillion.
“Our proposition is straightforward: Invest in Kenya, manufacture in Kenya, and serve Africa and the world from Kenya,” he said.
Dr Ruto said investors would be supported through Invest Kenya and the Investment One-Stop Centre, which he said were streamlining approvals and backing projects from identification to implementation. He encouraged Russian businesses to identify specific projects and partner with Kenyan enterprises.
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“Kenya is open for business. We are ready for investment, ready for partnership and determined to turn our shared economic potential into lasting prosperity,” he said, closing his address.
The Russia-Africa Summit, co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who is the current African Union Chairperson, will end on Thursday.
At least 24 African leaders are already in Moscow, and 48 nations had confirmed they would attend the Summit.
This is the third edition since the first Russia-Africa Summit was held in 2019. At least 33 deals are expected to be brokered and signed between Russia and African countries.
The 2026 Summit comes at a time when Russia is facing many sanctions, mainly from Western countries over its role in Ukraine. Russia calls it military efforts in Ukraine as important operation aimed at curtailing efforts by the NATO to penetrate further to the East while most European countries claim it is illegal war on a sovereign country.
Russia, since the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) era, has maintained good relations with African countries, and Moscow sees Africa as an equaliser in a world where Western hegemony is domineering.
Russia has presented itself as an alternative that seeks to collaborate with Africans without imposing carrot-and-stick tactics.
Currently, Russia has 48 diplomatic missions in Africa, and the country has announced plans to set up a new embassy in Liberia.
Russia has supported many countries in Africa, especially those in the Sahel region, where their relationship with their former colonial master, France, has reached its lowest level in history.
During the Summit, President Putin is expected to hold talks with Mali’s strongman, Assimi Goita, who has been in power since 2021.