President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and Kenya’s President William Samoei Ruto on Sunday launched construction of the USD 500 million Devki Mega Steel Plant in Tororo District, marking one of the largest industrial investments in East Africa and a major step toward regional industrial self-sufficiency.
The plant, located in Kayoro Village, Osukuru County, will employ 15,000 Ugandans at start and is being developed by Kenyan industrialist Dr. Narendra Raval of the Devki Group.
Dr. Raval said the jobs will be generated through integrated steel operations already linked to investments in Tororo, Mbarara, and the upcoming iron ore refinery in Kabale.
President Museveni situated the project within Africa’s long struggle against economic exploitation, saying the continent has for centuries lost value through the slave trade, colonialism, and the export of raw minerals.
“Today, with the groundbreaking ceremony 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. He added that the plant moves Uganda closer to ending the export of unprocessed minerals and the loss of jobs and foreign exchange.
Museveni thanked President Ruto for encouraging Dr. Raval to invest in Uganda, noting that regional collaboration is essential for shared growth. He also urged communities not to frustrate investors with compensation demands, saying: “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.”
The President warned that Uganda loses an estimated USD 5 billion annually on imports that can be produced locally and welcomed the planned extension of the Standard Gauge Railway from Kenya to Tororo, saying it will reduce transport costs for major industries.
President Ruto said the project marks a new chapter in Africa’s industrial ambitions and strengthens regional value chains. “We convene here not just to commission a factory, but to usher in a new, audacious chapter in Africa’s industrialization ambitions,” he said.
He noted that the Tororo plant will grow to 20,000 employees across East Africa by 2027 and highlighted rising steel demand on the continent. Ruto also announced that Kenya will in January launch the next phase of the Standard Gauge Railway from Mombasa through Naivasha to Malaba, eventually extending to Tororo.
Dr. Raval thanked President Museveni for insisting that the factory be built in Tororo and pledged that 90 percent of the workforce will come from Tororo and surrounding communities. “Whatever employment will be in the factory, 90% of the jobs will be allocated to Tororo and the surrounding communities only,” he said.
He described industrialization as the foundation of prosperity, adding: “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, said the project demonstrates deepening regional industrial integration. Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa called the investment “a landmark event” and said the plant aligns with the government’s commitment to expanding industrial capacity.
The factory is expected to transform Uganda’s steel industry, create thousands of jobs, and reinforce the region’s drive toward industrial independence.
