President William Ruto has ordered Indian conglomerate Tata Chemicals to shut down its operations in Kenya, saying the decades-long deal brought little to the local community.
Speaking in Kajiado on Thursday, Ruto said the government had terminated the agreement tied to the Magadi Soda factory. He criticized the company for holding the contract for 100 years without building substantial infrastructure in the region.
“That TATA company had that contract for 100 years. They have not built anything in Kajiado, they have not built any factory in Kajiado,” Ruto said during the visit. “Are we slaves to other people?”
The president said Kenya will replace Tata with two new investors. One will set up a large glass manufacturing plant and the other will produce chemicals, both based in Kajiado.
The move follows a directive in late July when the government told Tata Chemicals Limited to suspend operations at Magadi Soda and halt soda ash exports. Tata Chemicals did not respond to requests for comment on Ruto’s announcement.
Ruto made the remarks while in southern Kenya, weeks after attending the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France in June.
