CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY IN KENYA

The construction Industry in Kenya has in the last decade grown substantively due to emphasis
on the growth of the country and the role of relevant supporting infrastructure to support this
growth. Hence forth even with the fluctuating growth of the country’s GDP, construction has
gradually grown and is projected to grow at a steady rate of around 6.8%.

GDP growth Kenya

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

GDP

Cement production in Kenya

The cement Industry in Kenya is very vibrant with many companies, with national companies
manufacturing and distributing most cement to the country as well as exporting our products to
neighboring countries. The main types of Cement produced in Kenya are as follows:
Normal Cement Waste and by product Special Cements
 cement
Ordinary Portland Cement Blast Furnace Slag Cement White Portland cement
Pozzolanic Cement

Data from the Kenya Bureau of Statistics shows the following as Cement produced from 2013-
2019.

It is fair to say that this level of production is nowhere near comparison to the billions
of tonnes that are produced in Japan, this could be due to the nature and level of consumption. It
is also important to note that most of our development partners, such as China, use cement from
their country in projects that they implement, hence that consumption is not reflected in what has
been produced.
The process of concrete production follows that of Ordinary Portland cement wet
production process as what is done in Japan. Adverse effects of Carbon dioxide production is
still an issue being managed by our environmental bodies such as NEMA (National
Environmental Management Authority) as can be seen in the case of Japan. In light of this some
cement manufacturers in Kenya have already taken up activities that cater for the reduction of
environmental damage such as the use of tyres as an alternative fuel.

Bamburi Cement initiative to use waste tyres to substitute fossil fuel to reduce carbon dioxide emission

Concrete products used in Construction in Kenya

 Cement for use in concrete production
 Paving Blocks and precast road furniture
 Ready Mix Concrete
In comparison to Japan, the only thing that is not manufactured in Kenya is prefabricated
buildings, otherwise the rest are products that are in common.
Technologies and innovations in Concrete products used in Construction in Kenya
There has been no use of recycling of waste products in concrete in the country thus
far as has been seen in Japan. However, industry pioneers such as Bamburi cement
(Kenya’s largest cement manufacturer) have envisioned that by 2030, they will seek to
use 80 million tonnes of resources made from waste in our operations each year.