Kenyan President William Ruto has pitched a decade-long $40.02 billion infrastructure investment programme to Russian businesses, seeking capital and technology to expand local manufacturing and reduce a trade imbalance that leaves Kenya importing far more from Russia than it exports.
Speaking at the Russia-Kenya Business Roundtable in Moscow today, Ruto presented opportunities in energy, transport, fertiliser production, mining, agricultural processing and engineering, urging Russian companies to establish production facilities in Kenya.
“Our proposition is straightforward: Invest in Kenya, manufacture in Kenya, and serve Africa and the world from Kenya,” Ruto said.
The proposal comes as Kenya seeks to diversify its sources of investment and expand export markets, while its economic ties with Russia remain relatively small and heavily weighted towards Russian exports.
Bilateral trade reached about $380 million in 2025, Ruto said, with Kenyan exports worth $52 million compared with imports of $330 million. Russian investment in Kenya was estimated at $22 million.
Kenya’s exports to Russia include tea, coffee, cut flowers, fruits and vegetables, while imports include wheat, fertilisers, iron and steel products. Ruto said the figures highlighted the need to move beyond a relationship based primarily on commodity exchanges towards investment that creates jobs and builds domestic industrial capacity.
“The figures challenge us to rethink the nature of our partnership,” he said.
Kenya is pitching the programme at a time when competition for foreign capital is intensifying. Africa attracted about $70 billion in foreign direct investment in 2025, down from $94 billion in 2024, according to the United Nations Trade and Development agency, UNCTAD.
Ruto said Kenya’s economy was worth about $136 billion in 2025 and grew by 5.3% that year. He also cited the country’s renewable energy base, saying 93% of its electricity came from renewable sources, as an advantage for investors considering energy-intensive industrial projects.
The government is seeking investment in geothermal power, green hydrogen, electric mobility and energy infrastructure, alongside irrigation, agricultural mechanisation and fertiliser production. These projects could help reduce reliance on imported industrial and agricultural inputs while creating demand for locally produced goods.
Kenya is also positioning itself as a manufacturing and distribution base for the African Continental Free Trade Area, which connects 55 African countries in a market with a combined gross domestic product of about $3.4 trillion, according to the United Nations.
But the scale of the investment pitch does not itself guarantee financing. Kenya will need to turn its proposed infrastructure programme into commercially viable projects, with clear financing structures, implementation schedules and returns for investors.
Ruto called on Russian companies to establish production facilities and develop partnerships with Kenyan firms, saying the success of the relationship should be judged by tangible economic outcomes.
“We want partnerships measured not simply by agreements signed, but by projects implemented, industries established and jobs created,” he said.
Faustine Ngila is the AI Editor at Impact Newswire, based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is an award-winning journalist specializing in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and emerging technologies.
He previously worked as a global technology reporter at Quartz in New York and Digital Frontier in London, where he covered innovation, startups, and the global digital economy.
With years of experience reporting on cutting-edge technologies, Faustine focuses on AI developments, industry trends, and the impact of technology on society.
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