Tororo — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and Kenya’s President William Samoei Ruto on Thursday presided over the groundbreaking ceremony of the USD 500 million Devki Mega Steel Plant in Kayoro Village, Osukuru County, Tororo District, launching one of East Africa’s largest industrial ventures to date.
The vertically integrated steel complex, owned by Kenyan industrialist Dr Narendra Raval (Guru) of the Devki Group, is expected to employ 15,000 Ugandans across facilities in Tororo and Mbarara at start-up. Dr Raval noted that the jobs will come from the integrated steel operations and other investments already underway, including the forthcoming iron ore refinery in Kabale.
President Museveni framed the occasion as a historic step in Africa’s struggle for economic liberation, saying the continent has for centuries lost value through the slave trade, colonialism, and modern systems that export raw materials without adding value.
“Today, with the groundbreaking of the Devki Mega Steel project in Tororo, alongside H.E. President William Ruto of Kenya, we are in the process of liberating Africa,” President Museveni said. “At full operationalisation, we shall be one step closer to reversing the squandering of Africa’s resources—human, mineral, jobs, and foreign exchange.”
He thanked President Ruto for encouraging Dr Raval to invest in Uganda, saying Kenya’s gesture recognises that regional collaboration is the key to shared prosperity. Museveni also urged investors to produce steel sheets and intermediate products locally to retain value.
The President further revealed plans for another major iron ore project in Kabale by Dr Raval, projected to create more than 16,000 jobs. He urged local residents not to frustrate investors with compensation disputes, assuring that the government would handle all compensation matters.
“The man is going to invest USD 500 million here, so please don’t bother him about money for compensation. The government will handle that,” he said. Museveni added that Uganda loses an estimated USD 5 billion annually through imports that could be produced domestically and welcomed the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway toward Tororo to support large-scale manufacturing.
President Ruto hailed the ceremony as “a new, audacious chapter in Africa’s industrialisation ambitions,” commending Museveni’s longstanding support for industrial growth and regional integration.
“We convene here not just to commission a factory, but to usher in a bold new chapter in Africa’s industrialisation,” Ruto said. He noted that the Tororo plant will expand its workforce to 20,000 across East Africa by 2027 and highlighted rising demand for steel on the continent—expected to grow from 39.5 million tonnes in 2024 to 52 million tonnes by 2034.
Ruto also revealed that Kenya will launch the next phase of the Standard Gauge Railway from Mombasa to Naivasha and from Rironi to Malaba in January, with future extension to Tororo to support mega industries like Devki Steel.
Dr Raval thanked President Museveni for guiding the investment, saying the decision to build the plant in Tororo was driven by the desire to create jobs for local communities.
“At this juncture, I would like to promise the Tororo community that whatever employment will be in the factory, 90 percent of the jobs will be allocated to Tororo and the surrounding communities,” Dr Raval said. He stressed that Africa’s prosperity depends on producing, not importing: “Importing steel is importing poverty. We must produce here, create jobs here, and empower the youth.”
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga described the project as a major milestone for regional industrial integration. Energy Minister Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa called the groundbreaking a landmark moment in Uganda’s industrialisation drive and emphasised that the factory must deliver tangible benefits for communities across East Africa.
The ceremony marks a defining moment in the region’s economic transformation, positioning Uganda as a key hub for steel production and value addition in Africa.
