President William Ruto has laid the groundwork for a project aimed at saving up to Ksh100 billion annually and creating jobs for the Kenyan youth.
While launching the 2023 Mombasa International Show on Thursday afternoon, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua indicated that the Head of State had made interventions to boost production of edible oils locally.
In his new plan, Ruto aims to increase domestically produced edible oil from the current 80,000 metric tonnes to 240,000 metric tonnes.
"This will lead to a production of 1.5 million metric tonnes of soybean, canola and sunflower seed for use as raw material in oil extraction. The objective is to reduce importation of the commodity which costs us on average KES 100 billion annually," announced Gachagua.
Additionally, the government is increasing investment in rice, cotton, coffee, beef, leather and dairy in a bid to raise the country's food security.
The DP also praised his boss for a stellar performance in putting together the Africa Climate Summit that saw over 15 Heads of State and representatives from foreign powers congregate in Nairobi.
Gachagua noted that the event raised the country's stature on the global map and earned Ruto new levels of respect.
"Due to pragmatic leadership by President William Ruto, Kenya is respected not just in Africa but in the entire world. We are proud that African leaders have identified William Ruto as the leader who will lead this continent to be respected by the rest of the world," added Gachagua.
During the event, Ruto and other African Heads of State struck deals worth Ksh3.36 trillion. Most of the pledges were made by developed countries.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) pledged Ksh657 billion while the United States pledged Ksh452 billion.
US also pledged Ksh4.3 billion to aid in food security programmes as well as Ksh5.1 billion from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Indonesia Deal
The plan came after Indonesia donated cooking oil vending machines aimed at enabling Kenyans to purchase cooking oil in small quantities and at more affordable rates.
The machines, according to the state, will be sold at Ksh210 per litre which is cheaper than the Ksh340 per litre the traders are buying from local manufacturers.
The Indonesian government also pledged to help the country improve its edible oils manufacturing sector.
