Kenya’s President William Ruto ordered Tata Chemicals to “pack up and leave” the country after accusing it of failing to create jobs and process minerals locally.
Ruto, seeking a second term in polls next year, has increasingly focused on wealth creation through industrialization in his reelection pitch.
The president’s remarks come five weeks after his mining minister directed Tata Chemicals to suspend operations at one of its plants, reportedly citing a failure to meet regulatory requirements. The company said it provided evidence of its regulatory compliance. Following Ruto’s comments, it said it remains “committed to constructive engagement” through legal and regulatory channels. Ruto, however, said the government has sought new investors to take over the company’s operations, with the aim of establishing manufacturing plants to add value locally and create jobs. It comes as Ruto moves to restrict small-scale retail and hawking to citizens, ordering authorities to begin shutting down foreign-owned businesses from Sept. 7.
Ruto took office in 2022 after an election in which he vowed to improve the lives of ordinary Kenyans, but unpopular tax hikes prompted protests. Industrialization has become a recurring theme of his ahead of the 2027 election. Speaking at the inauguration of Zambia’s president on Tuesday, he urged African nations to develop manufacturing capabilities to “create opportunity and to create wealth.”