“De Heus, powering progress,” was the flaming message during the ground-breaking ceremony by De Heus Animal Nutrition, a company of Royal De Heus in Athi River, Machakos County. The occasion to mark the construction of an animal feed mill plant was witnessed by the Governor of Machakos County, Wavinya Ndeti, Principal Secretary Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock Development, Honourable Jonathan Mueke, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Maarten Brouwer, representatives of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers (AKEFEMA), and stakeholders in agribusiness.

“We are glad to be able to celebrate this momentous occasion. Our mission is to foster sustainable agriculture by imparting technical knowledge and global expertise to Kenyan farmers.” Wiehan Visagie, General Manager, De Heus Animal Nutrition Kenya said as he welcomed stakeholders to the occasion. He further highlighted the commitment of the company, which has been in operation for more than a decade in Kenya, to build a lasting legacy of excellence in partnership with farmers in an effort for prosperity and a secure future.

Tobias Alando, Chief Operations Officer of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers applauded the government’s commitment to increase investment through favorable policies and vouched the association’s support to De Heus in hopes the project will have a rippling effect on other parts of the country. “Even though production is the endgame of this project, it will empower farmers and strengthen the value chain.”

Powering progress is telling of the company’s objective of success. The CEO of the company in operation in 23 countries among them, South Africa, Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, and Uganda, with more than 100 production locations, Mr. Koen De Heus whose family was also in attendance said the project was a major step in development of business in Kenya.

“The core of our model is to work together with customers to improve results. We will share our in-depth knowledge and educate farmers on the best practices. This will not only ensure quality products but also significantly reduce cases of aflatoxin and other limitations, which will further be ascertained by testing every truckload of raw materials before milling.”

Reiterating his excitement about the positive attributes contributed by a youthful growing population which signals a demand for healthy food, Mr. De Heus thanked the Ministry of Agriculture and the county government for their support, saying the project aligns with Kenya’s vision for food security and economic growth. The program with a long-term investment of over 23 million dollars, is projected to provide more than 250 direct jobs and more than 1000 indirect jobs in agribusiness and processing.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Maarten Brouwer commended the six years of bilateral relationship with Kenya. “We are one of the biggest export markets of Kenya in the world and agriculture has been important in the growth of this market.” Mentioning other counties of interest like Narok, Taita Taveta, and Samburu, he alluded to the strengthening of the commercial side of agriculture, pointing out the production of fodder, fishery, poultry, and swine-keeping subsectors.

“The livestock sector contributes 12% of our GDP. With an estimated growth of our nation’s population to 95 million by 2050, there is a positive outlook in the livestock feed market due to the increasing demand for healthy food. Consequently, President Ruto’s government is envisioning the growth of manufacturing from 7% to 20% by 2032 and tax incentives and land commercialization policies attest to this,” said Hon. Mueke.

Pointing out the large youthful workforce as a tremendous resource, the PS reiterated the government’s commitment to production growth, further mentioning the reduced timeline in the certification of seeds as a boost to innovation and research.

The location of the project is strategic owing to the infrastructural development in Machakos County. Just off Mombasa Road, less than 20 minutes from JKIA and the standard gauge railway to the Port of Mombasa, ‘pesa mfukoni, chakula mezani,’ has never sounded truer, as H.E Ndeti said. She also highlighted the job opportunities as a signal to growth in the four sub-counties.

Kenya being the environmental capital of the world, green energy is a major conversation in industrialization. De Heus applauded Kenya’s good electricity grid and alluded to a second phase investment in solar systems in the project envisioned to begin operation in the second half of 2025. Mr. Rowland Wanyama, the commercial manager, in Kenya, said local sourcing of raw materials and retail distribution will be a success owing to feasibility studies and extensive research and collaborations.

The massive investment is arguably a signal of the growth and commercialization of agriculture in the country; however, we must have a conversation on the accompanying effects of climate change. Livestock rearing, the value addition chain and manufacturing, and related greenhouse effects, meaning, investors need to put in place executable policies addressing the climate crisis.