MITI RALLIES STATE AGENCIES TO FAST-TRACK INDUSTRIALIZATION THROUGH LOCAL CONTENT AND POLICY DISCIPLINE

The government has intensified efforts to accelerate Kenya’s industrialization drive, with the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry (MITI) calling for stronger alignment of policies, institutions and investments to shorten the country’s industrialization timeline.
Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry Lee Kinyanjui warned that at the current pace, Kenya could take up to 30 years to fully industrialize, underscoring the urgency of coordinated action across government and the private sector.
“If we continue at this growth rate, we will industrialize after 30 years. That is why we must align everything to the national agenda and make industrialization happen now,” said Kinyanjui.
He noted that many institutions tend to operate in silos, focusing inwardly and losing sight of national priorities. To address this, he called for enhanced information sharing and cooperation beyond MITI to unlock bottlenecks and accelerate growth.
Buy Kenya, Build Kenya at the Centre
Job creation and the promotion of local manufacturing emerged as key pillars of the strategy. Kinyanjui singled out the Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) as a major opportunity to stimulate domestic industry, noting that MITI is mandated to ensure locally manufactured products take precedence in the programme.
He called for strict enforcement of the Buy Kenya, Build Kenya policy, warning that projects worth billions of shillings must directly benefit local producers.
“It is necessary to enforce Buy Kenya, Build Kenya in the AHP so that projects funded with billions benefit Kenyans and do not leave local industries poorer,” he said, adding that audits and clearer policy alignment would be undertaken to ensure compliance.
As global markets become increasingly inward-looking, Kinyanjui said Kenya must also prioritise local consumption to strengthen domestic manufacturing. He cited the Kenya Development Corporation (KDC), which provides financing to manufacturers to expand capacity, noting that up to 80 per cent of pharmaceutical products can be sourced locally.
State Corporations Urged to Lead by Example

Industry Principal Secretary Juma Mukhwana echoed the call for local content, urging State Corporations and government institutions to take the lead in implementing the Buy Kenya, Build Kenya strategy as a pathway to Kenya’s long-term industrial ambitions.
Speaking at the Strategic Leadership Forum in Naivasha, which brought together State Corporation leadership and heads of departments from MITI, Mukhwana said policy implementation — not policy gaps — remains the country’s biggest challenge.
“We have tonnes of strategies and policies that are our roadmap to where Kenya needs to be to industrialize. What we are lacking is disciplined delivery and sticking to those policies,” said Mukhwana.