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New Kilifi fruit processing plant opens up a reliable market for more than 3,000 farmers in Kilifi County
June 30th, 2026
Milly Fruits has opened a fruit processing plant in Kilifi County, a £1.96 million (KShs. 335 million) investment expected to create more than 4,000 jobs and a steady market for smallholder fruit farmers along Kenya’s coast.
The plant, commissioned on 30th June 2026 by Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro, was financed through a blend of public and private capital. The UK government’s Sustainable Urban Economic Development (SUED) programme, implemented by FSD Kenya, provided £478,800 (KShs. 81.9 million) in seed funding. This drew in a further £1.48 million (KShs. 253 million) from Milly Fruits itself, roughly three pounds of private money for every pound of public funding.
The facility will buy fruit from more than 4,000 farmers, including 3,580 smallholders selling into the value chain for the first time. Over its first three years, it is expected to purchase around 10,000 metric tonnes of fruit and pay out more than £3.65 million (KShs. 624.4 million) to farmers and workers.
At full capacity, the plant will produce 760 metric tonnes of dried fruit a year for export to the Middle East and Europe. The project is projected to create 4,180 jobs over three years: 500 direct, 400 induced and 3,580 linked to farming and sourcing.
Farmers will also receive training and technical support to raise productivity and cut post-harvest losses, a persistent drain on incomes in a county where much of the fruit harvest has historically rotted before reaching a buyer. The plant’s drying technology runs on renewable energy, and the project promotes climate-smart farming practices to build more resilient production systems.
Governor Mung’aro said the investment showed what was possible when value addition happens close to the farm gate. “Kilifi is richly blessed with agricultural potential,” he said. “Facilities like Milly Fruits will empower our farmers, create jobs for our youth, strengthen local enterprise, and move us closer to building a stronger and more self-reliant economy for the people of Kilifi.”
For the UK, the plant is an early dividend of the renewed Kenya–UK Strategic Partnership launched a year ago. Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director Diana Dalton described it as an example of collaboration that creates jobs, strengthens value chains and improves livelihoods.
Azeem Rashid, managing director of Milly Fruits EPZ Ltd, framed the launch as a step towards a globally competitive Kenyan fruit processing industry: “This facility is more than a processing plant; it is an investment in our farmers, our communities, and the future of Kenyan agriculture.”
The investment was made possible through collaboration between Milly Fruits, the Kilifi County Government and the SUED programme. Funded by the UK Government, SUED supports sustainable economic growth through investment facilitation and the development of climate-resilient infrastructure and enterprises across participating counties and municipalities.
