The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mutahi Kagwe, has commissioned a Ksh 3 billion animal feed manufacturing plant by De Heus Kenya in Athi River.
The facility is intended to enhance livestock productivity by providing high-quality feed to farmers and supporting Kenya’s ambitions in animal exports.
Speaking at the launch, CS Kagwe emphasised that the investment aims to increase output per animal rather than expanding herd sizes.
”Our goal is to double milk production from 5.2 billion litres to 10 billion litres by improving productivity per cow,” he stated. He emphasised that high-quality animal feed is critical to Kenya’s ambition of becoming a net exporter of live animals and meat.
To support this goal, authorities are developing a feed quality index aimed at standardising production and eliminating substandard formulations that undermine livestock productivity.
Under the Land Commercialisation Initiative (LCI), the government was unlocking public land for the structured production of yellow maize and soya beans, which were key inputs for feed manufacturing, and integrating small-scale farmers through contract farming.
To reduce reliance on rain-fed agriculture, 50 dams are planned nationwide, alongside structured feed reserves to stabilise prices during droughts.
De Heus is a century-old, family-owned Dutch company and a leading global producer of animal nutrition, specialising in compound feeds, concentrates, and premixes for livestock and aquaculture.
Its Kenyan subsidiary, established in 2023, has now completed the largest pellet-making feed mill in the region. The Athi River facility has an annual production capacity of 240,000 metric tonnes and features two pellet lines producing 20 metric tonnes per hour each.
It is expected to generate 280 direct jobs and over 1,000 indirect employment opportunities in logistics and raw material supply chains.
The commissioned plant, on the other hand, includes a laboratory equipped for advanced mycotoxin analysis, forage testing, shelf-life determination, and real-time raw material screening using handheld Near-Infrared Reflectance technology.
The commissioning ceremony was attended by the Kingdom of the Netherlands Ambassador Henk Jan Bakker, Governor of Machakos County, Wavinya Ndeti, Principal Secretary for Livestock Development, Jonathan Mueke, and Chairman of Royal De Heus, Co de Heus
Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti welcomed the project, noting that the investment reinforces Machakos- Kenyans.co.ke
