Ruto seeks Russian investment in Kenya’s $380m trade push

Kenyan President William Ruto urged Russian investors on Wednesday to expand in Kenya, citing $380 million in bilateral trade in 2025, Capital FM reported from a Moscow business forum.

The pitch matters for Kenya’s industrial agenda because Ruto said exports to Russia were $52 million in 2025, while Russian shipments to Kenya reached about $330 million, more than six times as much, according to Atlas360 calculations.

Ruto made the appeal at the Russia-Kenya Business Roundtable Forum in Moscow, where he presented Kenya as a base for companies looking at East and Central Africa, according to the Capital FM news report distributed by AllAfrica.

"With a population of 55 million, a GDP of $136 billion (Sh18 trillion) and economic growth of 5.3 per cent in 2025, we offer a substantial domestic market and a strategic gateway to East and Central Africa," Ruto said.

The Kenyan president said Russian investment in Kenya was about $22 million, a level he described as below potential. He called for investment in mining and mineral beneficiation, the processing of ore or raw minerals to raise their value before sale, as well as transport, heavy engineering, manufacturing, energy and fertiliser production.

"Our objective is to establish enterprises that process local resources, strengthen supply chains, transfer skills and create employment," Ruto said.

Kenya’s exports to Russia mainly include tea, coffee, flowers, fruits and vegetables, Ruto said. Imports from Russia include wheat, fertilisers, iron and steel products, according to the report.

Ruto linked the investment appeal to Kenya’s wider industrialisation priorities, saying investment should help domestic production, employment and the processing of local resources. He also argued for partnerships based on sovereign equality and local value addition.

"This model has constrained Africa's industrial development and denied our people the full economic benefits of their resources. It is neither sustainable nor acceptable," Ruto said, referring to arrangements that leave African countries exporting raw materials without substantial processing.

Ruto is in Russia for the Third Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, where he is seeking stronger economic, peace and security cooperation, according to the report. His delegation includes First Lady Rachel Ruto, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui and Kenya’s Ambassador to Russia Peter Mathuki.

The report did not cite signed investment agreements, financing terms or binding commitments by Russian companies. It said Ruto held talks with Wildberries Chief Executive Officer Robert Mirzoyan on investment opportunities, particularly online trading, and later joined other African leaders hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Gostiny Dvor Exhibition Centre.

Ruto also said Kenya wants to expand its labour mobility programme to Russia. He said the programme had enabled 700,000 Kenyans to secure jobs overseas and that deeper cooperation could create additional opportunities for Kenyan workers.

Source: news report, Capital FM via AllAfrica, Oct. 28, 2026