President William Ruto greets former CS Moses Kuria at the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Business Summit 2026 in Nairobi on September 9 / PCSKenya’s foreign direct investment has risen to a record Sh414.1 billion ($3.2 billion), up from Ksh194.1 billion ($1.5 billion) in 2022, President William Ruto has said.
The President said the government is seeking to position the country as a regional production and services hub.
Speaking at the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Business Summit 2026 in Nairobi, Ruto said the increase was a vote of confidence in Kenya’s renewable energy base, digital economy and manufacturing potential.
“Kenya’s foreign direct investment has risen from $1.5 billion in 2022 to a record $3.2 billion last year. This is a strong vote of confidence in our renewable energy base, digital economy and manufacturing potential,” Ruto said.
The President said Kenya was seeking investments that create jobs, build local value chains, transfer technology, expand exports and strengthen the country’s position as a regional hub for production and services.
He said Kenya offers investors access not only to its domestic market but also to wider African markets through regional and continental trade arrangements.
“Kenya offers investors more than a national market. Through the East African Community, we are connected to a market of more than 300 million people; through COMESA, to a market of about 700 million; and through the African Continental Free Trade Area, to a continent-wide market of 1.4 billion people,” he said.
Ruto said Kenya’s proposition to investors was to use the country as a platform from which to produce for Africa and the rest of the world.
Ruto cited the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2026, which he said showed global foreign direct investment had reached Sh207 trillion ($1.6 trillion), while Africa attracted about Sh9.1 trillion ($70 billion), equivalent to 4.3 per cent of the global total.
He said Africa needed to claim a larger share of global investment and that Kenya intended to lead that effort.
Ruto also announced that American companies had committed more than Sh77.6 billion ($600 million) to new projects in Kenya since the previous AmCham summit.
Among the investments cited was Oracle’s selection of Kenya as the site of its first public cloud region in Africa.
Coca-Cola has committed Sh22.6 billion ($175 million), while Mars Wrigley inaugurated a Sh13.3 billion ($103 million) production line at Athi River.
SC Johnson is also establishing a new manufacturing plant to serve Kenya and other African markets.
Ruto further said Ford is exploring opportunities in Kenya, describing the development as a potential boost to the government’s agenda of creating jobs and building local value.
“We are pleased that Ford is exploring opportunities in Kenya. Henry Ford’s proposition that those who build a product should be able to afford it speaks directly to our agenda of creating jobs, building local value and making quality products accessible,” Ruto said.
The President said the investments demonstrated that opportunities were already attracting capital, but maintained that Kenya could not afford to become complacent.
“We know that investors compare jurisdictions, price risk and move quickly when conditions are right. Capital goes where there is opportunity, but it stays where there is confidence,” he said.
