Ruto Unveils Sh12 Billion Mombasa Project Set to Create 10,000 Jobs

President William Ruto on Tuesday presided over the signing of a Sh12 billion agreement between GulfCap Group and global logistics company DP World to develop a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Jomvu, Mombasa.

The project, valued at more than US$100 million, will cover 535 acres and is expected to create nearly 8,000 direct jobs in its initial phase. It is intended to attract companies in manufacturing, logistics and export industries, with 67 firms already expressing interest in the development.

The signing ceremony at State House in Nairobi was attended by senior government officials, including Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir. GulfCap chairman Suleiman Shahbal and representatives of DP World Africa were also present.

The development is expected to create wider economic opportunities for small-scale traders, transport operators and service providers in the surrounding communities. President Ruto directed that the SEZ be completed within six months, stressing the importance of clear deadlines for government-backed projects. 

He said the development had been under consideration for more than a decade and had featured in earlier plans involving Joho, Shahbal and Nassir. Ruto said the project was aligned with his administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which seeks to promote industrialisation, increase exports and strengthen Kenya’s participation in regional and global value chains.

He said Kenya needed to reduce its reliance on exporting raw commodities by increasing local processing and manufacturing. “We must process more of what we produce, manufacture more of what we consume, and export competitive, finished products,” he said.

The Jomvu SEZ is strategically located near the Standard Gauge Railway and major transport corridors. Its location is expected to support trade and production serving markets in the East African Community, COMESA and other parts of Africa.

Ruto said the first phase could create up to 10,000 jobs, highlighting the potential of the development to support Kenya’s shift towards a more diversified and export-oriented economy. The agreement represents a significant step in Kenya’s plans to use SEZs to promote industrial development and economic growth. 

The six-month completion deadline sets an ambitious timetable for a project of this scale, but successful implementation would make the Jomvu SEZ a major component of the country’s industrialisation plans.