On Tuesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta presided over the opening of the Simba Cement factory in Salgaa, Nakuru County that is set to change the economic fortunes of the area for the better.
The cement plant owned by Devki Group’s National Cement Company (NCC) with an annual capacity of 750,000 tonnes is expected to generate 700 direct jobs. The factory is still being expanded and will employ a further 300 Kenyans by June this year bringing the total direct jobs created to 1000.
Speaking to area residents, President Kenyatta urged companies involved in the construction industry to leverage on the low cement prices offered by the processor to expand their enterprises and assured that the Government is keen on attracting more factories to the region.
Mr. Kenyatta added that his administration will continue to support investments that utilise local resources to create wealth and employment opportunities for Kenyans across the country.
“My administration will support value addition, extraction industries and manufacturing and we will continue supporting investments targeting the economic base of each county,” the President assured.
The Head of State said the Government will keep investing in capacity building for local industries to enable them get a share of the ever expanding international market for Kenyan products.
Devki Group Chairman Narendra Raval said his factory is selling cement at Shs 530 in Nakuru and its environs down from Shs 750. The new plant also lifts the company’s annual consolidated production capacity to two million tonnes.
NCC has been on an aggressive expansion drive, buoyed by demand from huge infrastructure and real estate projects across the country.
Last year, NCC bought the assets of rival Athi River Mining (ARM Cement) — beating Rai Cement Company to the deal.
The new Nakuru plant is expected to increase competition in the cement market, which has recently witnessed price wars due to expansion and entry of new players.
