President William Ruto has asked Russian companies to set up shop in Kenya, saying the current trade numbers between Nairobi and Moscow do not reflect the potential of the two countries.
Ruto was in Moscow for the Third Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, his first official visit to the Russian capital. On Wednesday he addressed a Russia-Kenya business roundtable, where he laid out figures showing how lopsided the relationship is. Trade was worth about $380 million last year. Kenya sold Russia goods worth only $52 million, mostly tea, coffee, flowers, fruits and vegetables. Kenya bought $330 million worth of goods from Russia, mainly wheat, fertiliser, and iron and steel products. Russian investment in Kenya is estimated at just $22 million.
"These figures challenge us to rethink the nature of our partnership," the President told the gathering, urging Russian firms to build factories and work with Kenyan companies instead of simply selling to the country.
He listed energy, mining, fertiliser production, engineering, transport and manufacturing as the areas where both sides could do more together. He also said Kenya is putting together about $40 billion (Sh5.2 trillion) for infrastructure projects over the next ten years, which opens room for partnerships in energy, transport, housing and manufacturing. His message to investors was short and direct: invest, manufacture and sell to Africa and the world from Kenya.
The President also spoke about value addition. He said Kenya wants investments that will help it process more of its farm produce and turn its minerals into finished products at home, instead of exporting them raw.
On the sidelines of the summit, Ruto met Putin and held talks with Robert Mirzoyan, the chief executive of Russian online retailer Wildberries, on possible investment in online trading.
Kenya has good reason to court Moscow. Russia is one of its main suppliers of wheat and fertiliser, so anything that affects shipping and trade routes touches food security and the cost of farming back home. The war in Ukraine has shaken global grain markets and shown how exposed import-dependent countries are. Ruto said he welcomed moves towards ending the conflict, adding that peace would make it easier and cheaper to move Russian commodities to African markets and bring Nairobi and Moscow closer economically.
Distance and logistics are also part of the problem. Part of Kenya's tea reaches Russian consumers through third-party markets, and the lack of direct flights between the two countries pushes up transport costs.
Ruto also called on African countries to push for a bigger role in global decision-making. He said the Russia-Africa Action Plan 2027-29 should deliver real investments, industries and research partnerships that improve ordinary people's lives, and that Africa should be a full participant in global production and technology, not just a supplier of raw materials. He added that relations between countries should rest on mutual respect and cooperation instead of rival spheres of influence, and that sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful settlement of disputes should apply equally to every nation.
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