President Ruto announces a new investor for a Ksh33 billion cement factory in Kitui, with construction set to launch in November. He says Dangote abandoned an earlier Kitui plan under Uhuru's administration.
Kitui's long and frustrated wait for a cement factory to match its vast limestone deposits may be nearing a turning point. President William Ruto has announced that a new investor has now been secured for a Ksh33 billion cement factory project in the county, with construction expected to begin before the end of the year.
A November Date with Kitui
Speaking on the development, Ruto said he will personally travel to Kitui in November to officially launch construction of the plant. The visit is expected to mark a significant milestone for a county that has, for over a decade, sat on some of Kenya's richest limestone reserves without a factory to match.
Kitui's mineral wealth has long attracted the attention of major cement players, but previous attempts to convert that potential into an operating plant have repeatedly stalled, leaving residents of the mineral-rich county watching from the sidelines as neighbouring regions industrialised.
Taking Aim at a Stalled Dangote Deal
In his remarks, the President did not shy away from revisiting one of Kitui's most talked-about missed investments. Ruto said that Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote had earlier planned to set up a cement factory in Kitui but abandoned the project after facing frustration during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration — eventually redirecting his investment to Tanzania instead.
The claim lands against a backdrop of years of reporting on Dangote's on-again, off-again plans for Kitui, which included securing a licence to prospect for limestone in the county before the project quietly stalled and the company shifted its regional cement ambitions elsewhere.
What It Means for Kitui
For a county whose limestone deposits have long been described as an industrial goldmine waiting to be unlocked, news of a fresh investor carries real weight — but also a measure of caution born of past disappointments. Kitui residents have, over the years, watched multiple cement projects announced with fanfare only to stall before a single brick was laid.
Whether this latest investor will succeed where others fell short remains to be seen. But with a presidential visit now penciled in for November, all eyes will be on Kitui to see if this marks the moment the county's limestone finally turns into industry.