For generations, Mombasa has stood at the meeting point of Africa and the world. Through our port have passed the goods, resources and ambitions of nations.
Ships have arrived carrying finished products, while raw
materials from Kenya and the wider region have departed in their most basic
form — leaving behind too little value, too few jobs and too many
missed opportunities.
That story must now change.
Mombasa must no longer remain merely a gateway through which raw materials leave our country and finished goods return at a premium. We must become the place where Kenyan resources are transformed into Kenyan products, carrying Kenyan brands to markets across Africa and the world.
This is the essence of President William Ruto’s vision for value addition within our borders: Kenya must not be content with producing what others process, exporting what others package and importing what we are capable of making ourselves.
Our resources must create wealth here, our industries must employ our people here and our products must compete globally under Kenyan names.
The signing of the landmark tripartite agreement between the Mombasacounty, Mombasa Free Zone Limited and DP World for development of the Mombasa Industrial Park Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a decisive step towards that future.
This agreement signed on Tuesday is more than a commercial arrangement. It signals that Mombasa is ready to move from being primarily a point of transit to becoming a centre of production, innovation and enterprise. It represents our determination to build an economy in which value is created not only by moving goods, but also by transforming them.
I sincerely thank President Ruto for hosting this historic occasion and for making firm commitments that strengthen the commercial viability of the project.
His consideration in lowering the electricity tariff for companies domiciled within the SEZ to Sh10 per kWh will significantly reduce production costs, attract serious investors and make Mombasa more competitive as an industrial destination.
Affordable and reliable energy is the foundation of modern manufacturing. It determines whether a factory can operate competitively, whether an investor can expand and whether a Kenyan product can stand confidently against goods produced elsewhere.
By supporting
lower energy costs within the SEZ, the President is helping to remove one of
the barriers that has constrained industrial growth and discouraged investment
in value addition.
We equally welcome his commitment to construct the road connecting the SEZ to the main trunk road. Efficient connectivity between the industrial park, the Port of Mombasa and the national transport network will be indispensable to the movement of goods, people and investment.
Roads, ports, energy and industrial infrastructure are not separate
interventions; together, they form the arteries through which an economy grows.
The Mombasa Industrial Park will be more than a collection of factories. It will be an ecosystem bringing together manufacturers, logistics providers, exporters, technology companies, financial institutions, training centres and service providers.
It will accommodate major investors while opening doors for small and medium-sized enterprises that supply, support and benefit from industrial activity.
However, the true success of the SEZ cannot be measured only by the number of buildings constructed or the volume of cargo handled.
It must be measured by the young people who secure
meaningful employment, the local enterprises that enter supply chains, the
women and persons with disabilities who gain economic independence, and the
families whose lives improve because opportunity has come closer to home.
Mombasa’s young people possess talent, energy and creativity. What they need are pathways into the economy. Industrialisation can provide those pathways through technical training, apprenticeships, engineering, logistics, information technology, packaging, maintenance and management.
We must ensure that the jobs created by this transformation are accessible to, and shaped by, the skills and aspirations of our people.
As a county government, we have a responsibility to prepare our citizens for this new era. We must strengthen vocational education, support entrepreneurship, improve the business environment and work with investors to secure meaningful local participation. Industrial development must be anchored in partnership, transparency and shared prosperity.
The head of state’s vision also speaks to our national dignity. A country that exports raw materials and imports finished goods effectively exports jobs and imports unemployment.
It gives away the greatest portion of value and retains the smallest. We cannot build a prosperous and self-reliant nation on that foundation.
Kenyan raw materials must produce Kenyan products under Kenyan brands. Our agricultural produce must be processed here. Our fisheries must generate packaged and branded products.
Our minerals must support local industries. Our creative talent must be converted into intellectual property and global enterprises. Our manufacturers must be supported to advance from local markets into regional and international value chains.
This is how we will retain wealth within our economy, expand the tax base, deepen industrial capability and create more resilient communities. It is how Kenya will move from being merely a supplier of inputs to becoming a producer of complete and competitive products.
Mombasa is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. We have the port, the history, the strategic location and connections to regional and global markets.
Yet our greatest asset remains our people. With the right infrastructure, policies and partnerships, Mombasa can become a manufacturing and logistics powerhouse for Kenya, East Africa and the continent.
This agreement is therefore not simply about changing the economic profile of one county. It advances a national project and demonstrates that Kenya can industrialise with confidence, attract investment on its own terms and build prosperity through production.
As governor of Mombasa, I fully align myself with the President’s vision. We shall work to ensure that value addition takes place within our borders, jobs remain in our communities and Kenyan resources generate Kenyan prosperity.
Mombasa is ready to manufacture, innovate and compete. Our moment has arrived — and together, we will build the future.
The writer is the Mombasa governor
