President William Ruto/HANDOUT
Sufficient locally-produced cement is key in driving Kenya’s infrastructure development, President William Ruto has said, as he backs a new Sh32 billion clinker factory set for construction in Kwale.
The President yesterday witnessed the signing of the multi-billion shilling clinker factory deal in Nairobi, as the country took another decisive step towards achieving self-reliance in cement production.
The plant will be built by Bamburi Cement Plc, now a subsidiary of Tanzanian conglomerate Amsons Group, and SINOMA-CBMI Construction Company Limited at a cost of $250 million (Sh32 billion) in Matuga, Kwale county.
President Ruto said the significant investment will go a long way towards the realisation of the Sh5 trillion required to power Kenya's rapid national development ambitions to achieve economic independence.
"As government, we recognise that strengthening clinker production capacity is fundamental to securing the cement value chain and safeguarding the long-term competitiveness of the sector," he said.
Present were Trade and Investments Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui, Amsons Group co-founder and Managing Director Edha Nahdi and Bamburi Cement chairman Paul Simba, KCB Group CEO Paul Russo, Principal Secretaries and other guests.
The plant is expected to create over 10,000 job opportunities during the two-year construction period and after, thus stimulating local trade and enterprise in the area.
President Ruto said sufficient locally-produced cement is at the heart of the government's plan to take Kenya into the league of developed nations within a generation.
"Every kilometre of road, every power plant, every dam and irrigation canal and every factory depends on a reliable, competitive and sustainable cement value chain," he said.
The President said the country is keen to end cement imports noting it has all the natural resources required to manufacture the product locally.
"It is not possible for us to continue importing cement. We have enough limestone and all material required for cement production. Why then do we import limestone?" he posed.
He noted that local cement manufacturers have invested over $700 million (Sh91 billion) in modern facilities to produce clinker in Kenya in the past three years.
These includes the Sh45 billion Cemtech plant launched in 2023, the Matuga plant, and a Sh40 billion Cemtech plant the President will commission in Kitui county in early 2026.
He urged private investors to take advantage of the government's Sh5 trillion ambitious plan to make a Kenya a first-world economy, to upgrade their facilities and scale up production across industries, including cement and steel.
"Our national project is anchored on strategic infrastructure development, expanded, reliable and affordable energy, and large-scale irrigation through extensive dam construction designed to unlock productivity in agriculture, manufacturing, housing, transport and services," he said.
Government's projects such as affordable housing, construction of 50 mega dams for power generation and irrigation, dualling of 2,300km of highways and tarmacking of 28,00km of roads are key up takers of cement and steel.
Ruto reiterated the government's support for private sector investment in public utilities and infrastructure, saying policies are constantly under review to remove all bottlenecks hindering them.
