Kenya Airways has secured a groundbreaking agreement to establish Africa’s first specialized sustainable aviation fuel refinery, marking a significant advancement for eco-friendly air travel across the continent.
The airline formalized a memorandum of understanding with Rubis Energy Kenya on May 12 to establish the continent’s first dedicated sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) refinery.
The agreement was finalized with President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron in attendance, paving the way for the aviation industry’s shift toward cleaner energy sources.
Upon completion, the facility will have an annual production capacity of 32,000 metric tonnes, requiring an estimated investment of 60 to 70 million Euros, equivalent to approximately Ksh10 billion.
This ambitious initiative was first announced prior to the Africa Forward Summit 2026, with the objective of creating East Africa’s initial SAF production facility, reinforcing Kenya Airways’ standing as a progressive and environmentally responsible airline.
A key aspect of this initiative is utilizing locally accessible resources to manufacture aviation fuel with substantially reduced carbon content.
The facility will convert waste cooking oil and tallow, including locally sourced animal fats, into viable aviation fuel through advanced processing techniques.
Initial production steps will involve pre-treatment of oils and fats to eliminate impurities, guaranteeing that only premium raw materials advance to subsequent manufacturing stages.
Following pre-treatment, the raw materials will undergo hydrodeoxygenation, a process that removes oxygen from the feedstock to produce a fuel chemically comparable to traditional jet fuel.
The third stage involves further refinement through isomerisation, enhancing the fuel’s performance properties to meet international aviation standards.
The final stage, fractionation, will separate the processed material into various usable fuel components, completing the conversion into sustainable aviation fuel.
Notably, this represents Kenya Airways’ second significant partnership secured within recent days, following an agreement with Trace as the Official Airline Partner for ‘Africa Forward – Le Concert’, a premier cultural event of the Africa-France Summit scheduled for May 12, 2026, at Nairobi’s Kasarani Indoor Arena.
The concert will showcase prominent figures in contemporary African music alongside French artists and audience members. Notable performers expected at the event include Yemi Alade, Fally Ipupa, Youssou N’Dour, and Abigail Chams.