Kenya has strengthened regional industrial cooperation after Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry, Hon. Lee Kinyanjui, hosted a high-level Ugandan delegation led by Hon. Gen. Wilson Mbadi, Uganda’s Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.
The team is in Kenya for a three-day benchmarking mission to study Kenya’s rapidly expanding Special Economic Zones (SEZ) ecosystem, which has become a central pillar of the country’s industrialization agenda.
The discussions were also attended by Principal Secretary for Trade, Ms. Regina Ombam, who joined the delegation in reviewing how Kenya’s SEZ framework is structured, governed, and implemented.
Kenya’s SEZ Footprint Expands to 37 Zones
CS Kinyanjui revealed that Kenya has now gazetted 37 Special Economic Zones, which have cumulatively:
- attracted over USD 1.2 billion in investments,
- created 12,000 direct jobs, and
- supported over 30,000 indirect jobs.
The SEZs offer a competitive environment for investors, including:
- tax reliefs and fiscal incentives,
- subsidized and reliable power,
- favorable long-term land leases,
- plug-and-play industrial infrastructure,
- simplified regulatory and compliance processes.
These incentives have helped anchor Kenya as a regional manufacturing hub, with strong investor uptake in zones such as Naivasha Industrial Park, Dongo Kundu SEZ, Mombasa Port SEZ, Tatu City SEZ, and others.
Uganda’s Growing Free Zones Strategy
Uganda is simultaneously scaling up its industrial capacity with 15 free zones under development. The benchmarking visit signals a clear commitment by Kampala to strengthen regulatory frameworks, deepen regional competitiveness, and develop export-oriented manufacturing.
Hon. Mbadi’s delegation aims to learn from Kenya’s:
- SEZ rollout strategy,
- governance structures,
- investment policy incentives,
- collaboration between national government and county authorities.
Deepening Regional Collaboration Under the EAC
CS Kinyanjui emphasised that cooperation among East African Community (EAC) member states is essential to boosting Africa’s collective manufacturing capacity and strengthening cross-border value chains.
He commended Uganda’s proactive industrial roadmap and affirmed Kenya’s readiness to collaborate on joint investment promotion, shared research, and harmonised SEZ standards.
