By Henry Okello
TORORO
A new era of industrial growth dawned in East Africa as President Yoweri Museveni and Kenyan President, William Ruto on Sunday, 23rd November, 2025 jointly launched a Shs1.78 trillion steel plant in Utro Village, Kayoro Sub-County, Tororo District.
The project, spearheaded by the Devki Group of Companies, is poised to become the largest steel production facility in East Africa once completed.
It will be supplied with high-grade hematite (65% iron ore) from Kabale and magnetite (50% iron content) from eastern Uganda, ensuring a steady flow of raw materials for production.
The plant is expected to drastically reduce Uganda’s steel imports, currently valued at USD500 million annually.
Devki Group’s Executive Chairman, Narendra Raval, projected that the project will generate 15,000 jobs, with more than 5,000 opportunities earmarked for Tororo residents.
Kenyan President Ruto hailed the vertically integrated project as “a new chapter in Africa’s industrial ambitions”, emphasizing its role in building competitive and sustainable industries.
He announced Kenya’s commitment to construct a dual-carriage highway from Nairobi to Malaba and complete the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Malaba, boosting cross-border trade and regional cooperation.
He also dismissed media reports that Uganda’s President was threatening war over inaccessibility to the Indian Ocean saying that was idle talk by naysayers.
Uganda’s Energy Minister, Ruth Nankabirwa, described the plant as a milestone in the government’s mineral value-addition strategy, aimed at minimizing resource leakages and maximizing local benefits.
President Museveni celebrated the project as part of East Africa’s “liberation process” from historical exploitation of resources.
However, he expressed disappointment over land acquisition disputes, condemning fraudulent claims by some Utro residents who allegedly extorted compensation from the investor.
He pledged government reimbursement to Devki Group and warned communities against seeking payment for public land.
Museveni directed the First Deputy Prime Minister to resolve the matter swiftly.
The Tororo steel plant stands as a symbol of regional self-reliance, industrial ambition, and economic transformation, promising to reshape Uganda’s construction sector and strengthen East Africa’s industrial backbone.
