Ruto: Kenya to end raw mineral exports

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President William Ruto says Kenya will no longer allow its mineral wealth to leave the country in raw form, coming days after the controversial saga surrounding Tata Chemicals’ operations at Lake Magadi.

Ruto defended the government’s decision to suspend Tata Chemicals’ operations at Lake Magadi, Kajiado County, arguing that Kenya has not been receiving sufficient value from the natural resource and that more investors should be given an opportunity to develop the area.

“We want to give five, six or even 10 companies an opportunity to use the resources there to create jobs, value, create wealth and reduce poverty,” Ruto said.

The President made the remarks during a thanksgiving service in South Horr, Samburu County, on Sunday, where he announced a broader government policy aimed at shifting Kenya from exporting raw materials to processing them locally.

“Going into the future, our position as the government. Whether we are talking about Magadi Soda or oil or all our minerals, we have taken the decision that we will no longer export raw materials,” Ruto said.

“We are going to process all minerals available in Kenya.”

The declaration puts the long-running  Lake Magadi dispute at the centre of a much wider economic strategy.

Tata Chemicals has been associated with soda ash production at the lake for more than a century. Its Kenyan operations trace their history to 1911, when the Magadi Soda Company began extracting trona from Lake Magadi.

Operations were suspended on July 28, 2026, following a directive from the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs over compliance and licensing issues.

Ruto has argued that the resource should generate greater benefits for Kenyans through expanded investment, job creation and local value addition.

He accused the existing model of allowing valuable resources to leave the country while Kenya receives less economic benefit than it could.

The President’s comments reflect a longstanding challenge facing Kenya’s extractive sector: how to turn mineral deposits into manufacturing opportunities rather than simply exporting commodities.

Under the proposed approach, minerals such as gold, limestone, iron ore, graphite, titanium and soda ash would be processed or refined in Kenya before being exported.

The government says this would create industrial jobs, strengthen local supply chains and increase the value of exports.

Ruto cited planned cooperation with Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote as an example of the investment model the government wants to pursue.

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He said talks were underway to establish an oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Lamu, alongside efforts to attract investors into mineral refining.

“It is imprudent for any government to export raw materials, create jobs and value in other countries while we have a big population of young people who need jobs,” Ruto said.