News
Keeping you up to date with what is happening in manufacturing and distribution, in Kenya and across East Africa.
Monday, 9 November 2026
5 stories
EconomyBusiness grew in October as costs rose fastest since 2023
The Stanbic Bank Kenya PMI rose to 52.5 in October from 51.3, with manufacturing leading output and new orders, while input costs rose at the fastest rate since November 2023.
PricesInflation rises to 7.3% in October as fuel prices climb
Prices were 7.3% higher in October than a year earlier, up from 6.8% in September, with transport up 17.1% and a litre of diesel averaging Sh228.77, KNBS says.
Exports30,000 tonnes of macadamia unsold after export window shuts
Kenya allowed raw macadamia exports from July to 10 October, but only about 700 tonnes left against 14,000 expected, and growers say more than 30,000 tonnes remain unsold.
PolicyRuto says single-digit loans for manufacturers are coming
At the Kenya Industrialisation Summit on 4 November, President Ruto said a fund lending to manufacturers at single-digit interest is in its final stages, and manufacturers asked for cheaper power.
SugarSugar output up 57% this year as shop prices fall
Kenya's mills made 690,521 tonnes of sugar from January to September 2026, 56.7% more than a year earlier, and the average retail price fell to Sh155 a kilo, the Kenya Sugar Board says.
Tuesday, 20 October 2026
4 stories
PolicyDraft factory policy open for comments until 23 October
The Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry has published a draft National Industrialisation Policy for 2026 and is taking written comments until Friday 23 October.
DairyRuto plans to split New KCC into eight separate factories
President Ruto says each of New KCC's eight factories will run on its own and serve nearby markets, and that about Sh400 million owed to dairy farmers will be paid by the end of October.
Fertiliser323 bags of subsidy fertiliser seized in fake brand sacks
The Anti-Counterfeit Authority seized 323 bags of fertiliser worth more than Sh1.6 million in Matungu, Kakamega, which it says was taken from the government subsidy programme and repacked as a commercial brand.
EconomyFactory output grew 2.2% in April to June, led by cement
Manufacturing grew 2.2% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 1.3% a year earlier, as cement, iron sheets, sugar and soft drinks rose while milk processing fell, KNBS says.
Thursday, 15 October 2026
1 story
Tuesday, 13 October 2026
2 stories
IndustryKenya signs US$3bn plan to build electric vehicles locally
The government has signed a memorandum with Endelevu Enterprise Corporation, partnered with Geely, for plants to assemble 50,000 electric cars and 100,000 two-wheelers a year.
IndustryMagadi soda ash mine still shut as Tata warns 500 jobs at risk
Tata Chemicals Magadi has told the court its suspended mine puts over 500 jobs and a Sh3.62 billion expansion at risk, as its fight with the Mining ministry goes on.
Saturday, 10 October 2026
1 story
Friday, 9 October 2026
2 stories
SugarManufacturers take 433% industrial sugar duty rise to court
The excise duty on imported industrial sugar went from Ksh 7.50 to Ksh 40 a kilo in July. Manufacturers say it could add Ksh 6 billion a year to their costs.
FoodFood makers want more crops processed in Kenya before export
At FoodPro East Africa in Nairobi, the Industry PS and manufacturers called for adding value to farm produce locally, with lower taxes, simpler rules and steadier policies.
Thursday, 8 October 2026
4 stories
MoneyCentral Bank holds rate at 8.75% as milk, wheat and oil prices rise
The Central Bank kept its lending rate unchanged on 7 October. Core prices rose on milk, wheat products and cooking oil, and bank lending to business is growing again.
PlasticsNEMA seizes 90,695 banned plastic bags in Njiru factory raid
Five people, including the owner, were arrested at a facility making banned bags in Nairobi. NEMA calls it part of a nationwide crackdown on making, selling and using them.
PricesWorld wheat, sugar and cooking oil prices rose again in September
The UN's food price index rose 1.5% in September. Cereals were 17.2% dearer than a year ago, and sugar and vegetable oils were up too - the raw materials of millers, bakers and oil packers.
DairyMilk deliveries to processors fall 5.8% in the dry spell
Processors are paying farmers Sh55 to Sh60 a litre as supply drops, the Agriculture CS says. Kenya will also import most of its maize from Tanzania.
Tuesday, 6 October 2026
5 stories
IndustryWork starts on Dangote’s refinery in Lamu
The 700,000-barrel-a-day plant broke ground on 30 September and is meant to make materials for plastics and rubber as well as fuel. A land case is heard on 14 October.
MoneyBank loan rates in August ran from 10.5% to 18.7%
The average bank lending rate eased to 14.34% in August, but what each bank charged ranged by more than eight percentage points.
PowerUnilever’s Nairobi factory now runs 30% on solar
An 800kW rooftop system cost Ksh 70 million and saves about Ksh 30 million a year, the company says. On those figures it pays for itself in under two and a half years.
BusinessOrders picked up in September, and so did prices
Kenya’s monthly survey of private businesses rose to 51.3, its joint-best since January, as new orders grew. Costs for fuel, transport and farm produce kept rising.
PowerWorld Bank: power and water costs hold Kenyan firms back
A new World Bank Group report puts Kenya’s power tariff among the region’s highest. In its 2025 survey, three in four firms reported outages and six in ten had a generator.
Monday, 5 October 2026
3 stories
FuelFuel’s 8% VAT is due to end on 14 October
The cut that took VAT on petrol and diesel from 16% to 8% runs out the day EPRA sets November’s prices. Here is how much of every litre it is worth.
PowerElectricity surcharges fell in September
The extra charges EPRA adds to every unit of power came to Ksh 4.16 per kWh for September, down from Ksh 4.70 in August. Rooftop solar rules changed too.
PricesPrices rose 6.8% in September, led by transport
Inflation edged up from 6.6% in August, with transport costs 15.6% higher than a year ago. The Central Bank has since kept its lending rate at 8.75%.
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