• De Heus completes $23.2 million animal feed plant in Kenya

• Athi River facility targets 200,000 tonnes annual feed production

• Investment aims to cut imports amid Kenya’s large feed deficit

Dutch animal nutrition group De Heus has completed construction of a feed manufacturing plant in Athi River, Machakos County, Kenya. Local media report that the facility will be officially inaugurated on Feb. 18.

The project concludes around one year of construction, which began in April 2024. Built at a cost of 3 billion shillings ($23.2 million), the plant has an annual production capacity of 200,000 tonnes of animal feed, with scope to expand to 260,000 tonnes. De Heus plans to source soybeans and maize locally, creating a new outlet for farmers in the region.

According to Wiehan Visagie, general manager of De Heus Kenya, the facility will manufacture a broad range of standard and specialised feeds for poultry, pigs, ruminants and aquaculture. He said the company aims to provide farmers with a consistent supply of high-quality feed by producing locally, reducing reliance on imports and addressing long-standing quality issues. The approach is intended to help livestock producers improve productivity and margins.

The investment adds capacity to a domestic feed industry that currently meets less than half of national demand, estimated at about 55 million tonnes per year. Ministry of Agriculture data show Kenya faces an annual feed deficit of roughly 33 million tonnes, which is covered through imports.

Against this backdrop, De Heus will seek to replace part of imported supply and gain market share. Poultry is Kenya’s largest livestock segment, with more than 71 million birds recorded in 2024, followed by goats, sheep and cattle, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

Stéphanas Assocle