President William Ruto is actively courting international investors, citing a newly streamlined regulatory environment designed to attract and protect high-value investments.
The President said his government has aligned the Export Processing Zones and Special Economic Zones into a more coherent, transparent and investor-friendly framework.
He said the reforms are being reinforced by broader regulatory improvements, including the fast-tracking of the Business Laws Amendment Bill 2026 and the introduction of the Invest Kenya Bill.
These are aimed at reforming the 2004 Investment Promotion and Facilitation Act to establish a unified, modern framework for investment facilitation, faster approvals and enhanced aftercare services.
“Kenya is implementing a new package of cross-cutting policy actions designed to remove long-standing investment bottlenecks and significantly enhance the ease of doing business,” Ruto said.
The President said the country is investing heavily in infrastructure and connectivity by expanding roads, railways, airports and seaports.
Over the next five to 10 years, Kenya plans to build at least 50 mega dams to strengthen water security and significantly enhance agricultural productivity.
“Third, we are scaling up our energy capacity, tripling generation to at least 10,000 megawatts to power industrial growth and future demand," Ruto said.
“We are also strengthening international investment frameworks by accelerating Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements, modernising Bilateral Investment Treaties and providing greater tax certainty and cross-border investor confidence.”
The President cited the National Infrastructure Fund, which he said Kenya is mobilising long-term capital and creating structured, bankable opportunities for private sector participation.
He said Kenya estimates that delivering this transformation will require an investment of about Sh5 trillion ($40 billion).
“And this is where you come in. We invite you to partner with us - to invest, to build, and to be part of Kenya’s transformation in a truly win-win partnership,” the President said at the Fourth Edition of the Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO) 2026.
“To further support investment decisions, the government has developed an Investment Projects Catalogue, a comprehensive deal book that brings together Kenya’s most promising and investment-ready opportunities and which will be showcased at the conference.”
The President said with a population of about 55 million, Kenya is far more than a domestic market and also the natural gateway to East and Central Africa and through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a springboard into a $3.7 trillion continental market of 1.4 billion people.
“Regionally, Kenya anchors the East African Community Common Market of more than 330 million consumers and the COMESA market of over 680 million consumers,” Ruto said.
He told investors that improving energy competitiveness through ongoing tariff reforms and expanded power generation, ensuring more predictable and cost-effective electricity for energy-intensive industries.
International investors have already shown interest in Kenya with Ruto citing Mars Wrigley which expanded its sugar-free gum operations with a $33 million investment in Athi River, while Coca-Cola scaled up its bottle manufacturing facility in Kisumu with a $45 million investment.
The country ha also secured a $150 million investment from the UAE’s Aquilaster in electric and vehicle manufacturing in Nakuru and a commitment with the UK’s Flamingo Group last month worth $14 million expansion project in Naivasha.
“We have many more such examples, and it is for this reason that today we are unveiling more than $2.9 billion in 20 investment deals across agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, Business Process Outsourcing, healthcare, energy, and real estate,” Ruto said.
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