Kenya: local cement manufacturers decry poor quality imported product

Kenyan local cement firms have criticized the quality of products being rolled out by some cement manufacturers. This comes after the government’s interest in infrastructure projects sparked price and quality wars among firms in the country.Devki Group chairperson, Narendra Raval confirmed that there is an inflow of substandard cement from regional firms.

He pointed out that those importing cement to Kenya are not being monitored hence the reason for most buildings collapsing since they were constructed using substandard cement. Kenya Bureau of Statistics (KEBS) on the other hand is to blame for not effectively monitoring the price wars.“The cement being imported into the country is substandard and below the normal 50 kilogrammes. This is killing the local industry and I do not understand why the Kenya Bureau of Statistics and Kenya Association of Manufacturers are not taking action on the regional manufacturers,” Raval said.

Currently, a 50kg bag of cement retails at between US $5.94 and US $6.44, down from US $6.93 two years ago. Sellers explained that the low prices are raising fears of increased low quality cement entering the market among some builders.The Devki Group owns National Cement which produces Simba Cement and controls 20% of the market.