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Outer Ring Road consumes 2,500 tonnes of Savannah cement monthly

By JAMES NGUNJIRI December 14th, 2016 2 min read

Savannah Cement says it is supplying up to 2,500 tonnes monthly to the Outer Ring Road expansion project as it shifts focus to infrastructure construction.

Managing director Ronald Ndegwa on Tuesday said the firm has enhanced its corporate sales capacity in response to the new market demand.

“Sinohydro has been using our cement from inception and we’re happy to be an integral part of the construction that will ease congestion and create more value for property owners in the adjacent areas,” said Mr Ndegwa.

EASE CONGESTION

He was speaking during a visit to the Outer Ring Road construction site, where the government is racing to ease traffic congestion in the city’s Eastlands.

The managing director visited road contractor Sinohydro Corporation and paving blocks manufacturer KenBro.

The Sh16 billion Outer Ring Road project is financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the government. It is scheduled for completion by September next year.

Sinohydro Corporation Chief Engineer Zhou Chong said the firm had settled on Savannah cement because of quality assurance.

“We have had consistent quality and efficient service delivery. This means that we can also be assured of consistent quality of our products and work because cement is a very key ingredient,” said Mr Chong.

The cement firm is preparing to install its second grinding plant at its Kitengela complex to boost production capacity.

DOUBLE PRODUCTION

With the installation of the plant next year, the firm is expected to double production capacity to 2.4 million tonnes annually, up from the current 1.2 million tonnes.

Infrastructure supplies have proven a lucrative area of supply for cement makers with the largest, Bamburi Cement, seeing its profit and revenue rise tremendously as a result.

The most important source of demand is the standard gauge railway which has just reached Nairobi.

It is expected to go all the way to Rwanda, providing the dominant Kenyan cement-makers with huge demand.

An estimated population of at least 2.2 million, representing 70 per cent of Nairobi’s residents, is expected to benefit from the Outer Ring Road project.

Estates covered by the road include Mlango Kubwa, Kiamaiko, Huruma, Kariobangi, Umoja, Mukuru and Embakasi.

A significant part of the project is already completed.