Kenyan President Ruto Lays Foundation Stone for Vipingo SEZ

Kenyan President William Ruto laid the foundation stone for the Vipingo Special Economic Zone (#SEZ) on the last day of the Kenya Investment Forum 2025 which took place in Vipingo Ridge from 15 to 16 September 2025. The SEZ is financed by ARISE Integrated Industrial Properties (ARISE IIP) and Centum Investment.

The Vipingo SEZ is being built on a land area measuring 2,000 acres, within a larger development project covering a total of 10,000 acres. Vipingo SEZ is projected to attract USD 100 million in local and international investments, while creating 50,000 direct jobs and supporting 250,000 indirect jobs. Its core focus will be on textile and apparel production, but other sectors such as agro-processing, automotive, pharma and logistics are most welcome.

In his speech, President Ruto reminded some of the measures and policies that his government has brought forward to foster investment and #industrialization. The textile component will by itself account for 30,000 direct jobs, eventually. It is worth noting that the #Vipingo industrial park has already signed up a phone assembly factory from China.

ARISE IIP Founder and CEO Gagan Gupta underlined that Kenya’s strategic location, skilled workforce, and business-friendly investment climate makes it a magnet for #FDI. The project is in line with the vision to position Kenya as a regional manufacturing hub and a gateway for global trade.

Centum Investment CEO James Mworia highlighted that Kenya has trade agreements with EU, UK, and US, as well as across the regional and continental markets via #COMESA and #AfCFTA. To accelerate economic growth and reap more socio-economic benefits for its people, Kenya is developing several SEZ across the country.

Other than the 2,000-acre Vipingo SEZ, Kenya is developing the 1,000-acre Naivasha and 500-acre Dongo Kundu. The development of these SEZ is backed by Afrexim Bank. As a matter of fact, Afreximbank and KCB Group singed a financing deal worth USD 800 million for the Vipingo SEZ. In 2023, Afrexim Bank and Kenya signed a framework agreement with a dotation of USD 3 billion to support #industrialization.