President Uhuru Kenyatta has commissioned a 4 billion-shilling small arms factory in Ruiru, Kiambu County.
The plant is progressively meant to make Kenya self reliant on personal weapons for the security forces, with a capacity to produce 12,000 rifles for now.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, the President said Kenya’s development trajectory must be geared towards self sufficiency in the wake of global challenges and politics that hamper access to critical goods.
The head of state pointed out that the arms factory, will lower the cost of acquiring weapons for Kenya’s security agencies and establish a sustainable national security industrial base that provides jobs for the Kenyan youth.
Interior cabinet secretary Dr. Fred Matiangi stated that the move would uplift the government’s efforts in bracing security measures .
The Interior CS also observed that the country’s security sector has suffered substantially from middlemen who supply equipment at highly inflated prices.
The Sh4 billion factory, is part of a broad multi-agency national security industries strategy.
The factory draws 60 per cent of its input from local sources.