President William Ruto has announced that the government has secured a new investor to establish a Ksh33 billion cement factory in Kitui County, years after Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote abandoned a similar plan.

The President said in an interview on the night of Thursday, October 1, that the investor was already in place and that he would visit Kitui in November this year to officially launch construction of the factory.

Speaking during a media engagement in Mombasa, Ruto said the planned investment was part of government efforts to attract investors by creating a more favourable business environment.

“The investor is already around, and I will be soon visiting Kitui, probably next month, to break ground for the factory, which will cost Ksh33 billion,” Ruto said.

Ruto noted that the new factory could have been established years earlier had Dangote been allowed to proceed with his proposed investment in the county.

He recalled that Dangote had previously approached the Kenyan government to establish a multi-billion-shilling cement processing factory in Kitui but was frustrated in his efforts.

The President said that when he served as Deputy President, he took Dangote to State House to meet former President Uhuru Kenyatta. Still, the investor abandoned the project and invested in Tanzania.

“Dangote could have done the work seven years ago, but unfortunately he was frustrated so he chose to invest in Tanzania,” Ruto said.

He said his administration was now working to protect investors from unnecessary demands while also protecting the rights of Kenyans who would benefit from investments through employment opportunities.

Ruto also defended the planned development of a Ksh2 trillion East African oil refinery in Lamu, saying the government would not evict residents because of the project.

Read Also: Raila Odinga Family Announces ‘Parallel’ Candle Lighting Ceremony For Former PM

He said the land earmarked for the Lamu refinery was government land and that any claims by residents would be handled by the government rather than the investor.

Ruto said Kenya had for a long time struggled to attract major investments because of inadequate incentives and demands placed on investors.

He cited demands for shares and bribes as some of the issues that had discouraged investors from establishing major projects in the country.

The President said the government was taking steps to create a business environment that would encourage investors to establish large-scale projects while ensuring that Kenyans benefit through jobs and other economic opportunities.