Kenya commissions edible oil facility in Lamu county
The facility is equipped with modern machinery capable of crushing 5 metric tonnes of oilseed per day and refining 500 litres of edible oil daily, a development expected to enhance local value addition, reduce reliance on imported oils, and improve farmer incomes.
KENYA – The Government of Kenya, through the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), commissioned a state-of-the-art Common User Facility (CUF) for edible oil processing in Lamu County, marking a pivotal milestone in the Edible Oil Promotion Project.
Located at the Mpeketoni Agricultural Technology Development Centre, the facility features advanced oil processing machinery capable of crushing 5 metric tonnes of seeds daily and refining 500 litres of high-quality cooking oil, empowering over 5,000 local sunflower, sesame (simsim), and groundnut farmers to add value to their produce and slash reliance on costly imports.
This initiative aligns with national goals to strengthen agro-processing and promote high-value oil crops, with plans underway to replicate similar facilities across 14 additional counties nationwide.
The CUF represents a quantum leap from manual processing methods, previously limited to 500 kg per day, enabling efficient pressing, purification, packaging, and branding of oils derived from sunflower, sesame (simsim), peanuts, and emerging crops like coconuts, cashews, cottonseed, groundnuts, sisal, and bixa.
Lamu County Agriculture Executive Committee Member James Gichu hailed the project as a “game-changer,” projecting significant income boosts for smallholder farmers through premium pricing for processed oils sold locally and regionally, while curbing the cost of living amid Kenya’s 40% edible oil import dependency.
“This machine is a game-changer for our farmers. With the capacity to process up to five tonnes daily, we now have the ability to add real value to sunflower, simsim, and peanuts grown here in Lamu, urging farmers to take advantage of the opportunity by planting more oil crops so that together we can maximize production and increase incomes,” said the Gichu.
AFA’s Nuts and Oil Crops Directorate, in partnership with Lamu County Government, supplied certified seeds and training, fostering a resilient oil crop ecosystem projected to yield 20% higher farmer earnings within the first year.
This rollout is part of President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which emphasizes high-value oilseed production to achieve food security and export competitiveness, with Lamu positioned as a hub for coastal agro-processing.
Similar interventions have already expanded the value chains for coconut and cashew, with government-backed extension services targeting 10,000 hectares of oil crops by 2027.
The edible oil sector has long been dominated by imports, with Kenya sourcing a significant portion of its cooking oil from overseas markets.
The establishment of local processing facilities is expected to reduce this dependency, stabilize prices, and strengthen the country’s resilience against global supply shocks.
Analysts note that the initiative also aligns with Kenya’s broader industrialization agenda, which prioritizes agro-processing as a driver of rural development and job creation.
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