KENYA’S PRESIDENT RUTO ORDERS INDIA’S TATA CHEMICALS TO LEAVE COUNTRY

Thu 03 September 2026:

Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday said he had ordered India’s Tata Chemicals to leave the East African country, escalating a dispute involving one of Kenya’s largest mineral exporters and Africa’s biggest soda ash producer.

Speaking in Kajiado County, Ruto accused Tata Chemicals Magadi of failing to sufficiently invest in the area despite operating at Lake Magadi for more than a century.

“Tata Chemicals Magadi has had a contract for 100 years, and they have done nothing. I told them the other day to pack up and leave,” Ruto said in remarks delivered in Swahili.

Ruto said his government had identified new investors to take over operations, arguing that Kenya should derive greater economic benefits from its mineral resources.

“We have said we are bringing in new companies. I have already sent them away,” he said.

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The president said two new companies would be brought in, with the government seeking increased investment, local processing and employment for Kenyans.

Tata Chemicals Magadi is part of India’s Tata Group and operates at Lake Magadi, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The company produces more than 350,000 tons of soda ash annually, exporting to markets including India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere in Africa.

The presidential announcement follows a July 28 government suspension of Tata Chemicals Magadi’s mining operations over alleged non-compliance with Kenya’s mining laws. Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho said at the time that operations would remain suspended until the company met its statutory obligations.

Tata Chemicals said last month that it had submitted all documents requested by Kenyan authorities and maintained that it had demonstrated compliance with regulatory requirements. It said the suspension was affecting about 500 employees as well as contractors, suppliers and surrounding communities.

The company’s history at Lake Magadi dates to 1911, while a major mining lease with the Kenyan government was signed in 1928. Tata Chemicals acquired the operation in 2005 through its purchase of the UK’s Brunner Mond Group.

-Source: AA

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