Kenya’s flower and fruit exporters are being lined up for a €30 million (about Sh4.5 billion) cold-chain consolidation hub in Naivasha that would gather produce from across East Africa before sending it by rail to Mombasa for Europe.
The Daily Nation reported on Wednesday that the Northern Corridor Cool Logistics project, backed by the Netherlands and the European Union, targets a 25 per cent cut in transport costs and more than 90 per cent lower carbon emissions versus current patterns. Financial closure is aimed for 2027, with construction expected from 2028, Citizen Digital and The Star also reported.
What the hub would do
The facility would consolidate flowers, avocados, fruit and vegetables from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, then move suitable cargo by refrigerated rail to the coast. Netherlands Global Gateway ambassador Marchel Gerrmann said climate stress—dry spells, floods and higher temperatures—raises irrigation costs and spoilage risk, making reliable cooling and faster farm-to-port movement essential.
“Prolonged dry spells can increase irrigation costs and constrain production, while intense rainfall and flooding can damage crops, disrupt harvesting and delay deliveries,” Gerrmann said, according to the Nation.
Dutch ambassador Henk Jan Bakker said the project could draw firms in cold storage, rail and port services, digital systems, energy and food processing. TradeMark Africa and Invest International are working with Dutch and EU partners; complementary sites are envisaged in Uganda and Rwanda.
Trade stakes
World Bank WITS data cited by Citizen and The Star show Kenya exported about $290 million of cut flowers and $50.5 million of avocados to the Netherlands in 2024. KNBS Economic Survey 2026 figures in the Nation put horticultural export earnings at Sh216.48 billion in 2025, up 6.3 per cent, with cut flowers at Sh103.25 billion.
Agriculture ministry estimates put post-harvest losses at 30 to 40 per cent of produce. Separately, Horticultural Crops Directorate data showed 2024 export volumes of flowers, fruit and vegetables at 402,195 tonnes worth Sh136.57 billion, down from 468,438 tonnes and Sh156.69 billion in 2023, with vegetables the sharpest fall.
Leon Taljaard of Invest International said feasibility work pointed to commercially viable infrastructure. Bakker noted more than 150 Dutch companies are already active in Kenya and invited them to join as suppliers, investors or users of the corridor.
Cold-store, logistics and agritech roles tied to export corridors are among the openings tracked on Job in Kenya as shippers prepare for denser rail and port handling.
Sources: Daily Nation | Citizen Digital | The Star
Photo: Carine06 from UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
