NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 16 – Kenya took another decisive step towards achieving self-reliance in cement production following the contract signing for a new multi-billion shilling clinker factory witnessed by President William Ruto in Nairobi.
The new 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 (KSh32 billion) in Matuga, Kwale County.
President Ruto said the significant investment will go a long way towards the realisation of the KSh5 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 during the signing ceremony on Tuesday.
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 will 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 pointed out that the country is on track to bringing to an end cement imports, saying the country has all the natural resources required to manufacture the product domesticallly.
“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 asked.
The President pointed out that local cement manufacturers have invested over $700 million (KSh91 billion) in modern facilities to produce clinker in Kenya in the past three years.
These include the KSh45 billion Cemtech plant launched in 2023, the Matuga plant, and a KSh40 billion Cemtech plant the President will commission in Kitui County in early 2026.
President Ruto urged private investors to take advantage of the government’s KSh5 trillion ambitious plan to make Kenya a first-world economy to upgrade their facilities and scale up production across industries, including cement and steel.
“Our national project,” the President explained, “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.
He noted that more locally-produced cement will be required to meet the needs of the government’s transformative 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.
The President 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.