NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 4 — Former Investments, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has backed the Government’s decision to push Tata Chemicals Magadi out of Kenya, arguing that the country risks being overtaken by Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless it fundamentally changes how it exploits its natural resources.
Kuria said Kenya must stop treating industrialisation as a political issue and instead adopt policies that force investors to process raw materials locally and build industries around the country’s mineral wealth.
“We will not take off if we keep on playing politics with our industrialisation policy,” Kuria said.
His comments came after President William Ruto ordered Tata Chemicals to leave the Lake Magadi area, accusing the company of extracting Kajiado’s resources for decades without creating sufficient local industries, jobs and value addition.
Kuria said he fully supports the decision, arguing that Kenya should learn from countries that have deliberately restricted exports of unprocessed resources to accelerate domestic manufacturing.
“I fully support the government decision on Tata Chemicals and Magadi Soda,” he said.
“If we do not do things differently, Uganda, Ethiopia, DRC and Tanzania will overtake Kenya’s economy in the next 5 years.”
Kuria pointed to Indonesia as an example of how aggressive resource policies can drive industrialisation.
He said Indonesia’s decision to ban exports of raw nickel had helped transform its economy and attract processing and manufacturing investments around the mineral.
“Indonesia is the worlds 16th largest economy. It is also the largest producer of Nickel in the world accounting for 68% of global production. Indonesia’s economy has balooned because they banned exports of raw nickel,” Kuria said.
He said he studied the Indonesian model during his time in government and sought to apply similar principles to Kenya’s industrial policy.
Kuria also cited Uganda’s restrictions on exports of unprocessed raw materials, recalling an intervention he made while in government to secure an exemption for Devki Steel to obtain iron ore from Uganda.
“When I intervened to have exemption for the Devki steel plant in Samburu Kwale to get iron ore from Uganda, President Museveni gave a deadline for Devki to set up in Uganda,” he said.
“They have since done so.”
The former Cabinet secretary said Kenya could no longer afford to rely mainly on exporting resources in raw form while importing finished products made from those same resources.
“So far our economy has survived on what is above the surface. To move forward we must move our focus to what is below the surface,” he said.
Ruto has framed the Tata Chemicals dispute as part of a broader push to ensure Kenya derives greater economic value from its natural resources.
Speaking in Kajiado on Thursday, the President said Tata Chemicals had operated at Lake Magadi for about a century without establishing the level of local industrial capacity he expects from a major investor.
“That Tata company has had the contract for 100 years, yet it has not built anything in Kajiado. It has not established a factory here, and it has not employed our people. The other day, I told them to pack their bags and leave,” Ruto said.
The President said any investor brought in to replace Tata would be required to establish manufacturing facilities in Kajiado rather than simply extract soda ash for export.
“We have said that we will bring in a new company, but the conditions for that company will be clear: it must establish a large factory to manufacture glass here in Kajiado County and another facility to manufacture chemicals here,” Ruto said.
Tata Chemicals Magadi, formerly Magadi Soda Company, has operated at Lake Magadi since 1911 and became part of Tata Chemicals in 2005.
The company extracts trona from Lake Magadi and processes it into natural soda ash, or sodium carbonate, which is used in glass manufacturing, detergents, chemicals and water treatment.
Its operations were suspended on July 28, 2026, after the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs cited compliance and licensing concerns.
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