Kenyan multimillionaire, Narendra Raval, officially inaugurated a Ush2 trillion ($550 million) steel facility in Tororo, Uganda, marking the first substantial expansion beyond Kenya for the Raval’s company, Devki Group.
The plant currently stands as one of the largest private industrial projects in East Africa in recent years, with strong backing from regional leaders looking to expand manufacturing.
The ceremony was attended by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Kenyan President William Ruto, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Devki Group began as a modest steel workshop in Nairobi in 1986 and has grown into a diverse industrial conglomerate.
Its current subsidiaries include Devki Steel Mills, National Cement, Simba Cement, Maisha Mabati Mills, National Cement Uganda, Maisha Minerals and Fertilizers, Maisha Packaging, Northwood Aviation Agencies, and Cemtech.
The company operates 19 factories in nine industries and employs more than 14,000 people, making it Kenya’s largest private-sector employer.
Raval stressed the larger impact of the Tororo plant, stating that it will have “far-reaching impact beyond jobs, this factory will support the region’s push for stronger manufacturing and infrastructure.”
Production capacity of the steel plant
The Tororo steel mill, which covers more than 400 acres, is intended to lessen Uganda’s reliance on imported steel while also boosting regional trade networks, Business Insider reports.
The facility now employs approximately 400 people, with plans to expand to 20,000 employees throughout East Africa by 2027.
In addition to the 15,000 direct jobs, the factory is expected to create thousands of indirect jobs in transportation, logistics, and mining.
Steel produced here would not only meet domestic demand but also supply neighboring nations such as Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, thereby strengthening regional industrial supply networks.
