The East African Portland Cement Plc (EAPC) majority owner, Kalahari Cement, has unveiled a US$200 million (about KES25.8 billion) investment seeking to triple the company's production capacity to nearly four million tonnes of cement pa by 2029 from the current 1.3M tonnes.

Kalahari Cement, which is a subsidiary of Amsons Group, said Athi River-based EAPC will receive the financial and equipment modernisation support in a bold turnaround push that also includes staff welfare enhancement initiatives.

"Amsons Group last year promised to facilitate the full revival and modernisation of EAPC, and we can now confirm that plans to invest more than US $ 200 million in the first phase of the modernisation agenda have been secured," said Amsons Group Managing Director Edha Nahdi in statement released on Tuesday.

He added: "We are fast-tracking this investment agenda to ensure that EAPC will be at hand to make a meaningful contribution to President William Ruto’s recently announced 10-year roadmap on road, rail, ports, airports, and related infrastructure."

The bold and ambitious KES5 trillion ten-year roadmap championed by President Ruto will be financed by the National Infrastructure Fund and aims to transform Kenya into a first-world economy.

Mr Nahdi was speaking when he undertook a facilities familiarisation tour of EAPC’s plant in Kitengela, Kajiado County. 

During the tour conducted by EAPC Managing Director Mohamed Osman Adan, flanked by senior EAPC and Amsons Group Executives, Mr Nahdi confirmed that his firm, which holds a 69 percent controlling stake in EAPC, will invest in a new energy-efficient grinding and clinkerisation plant to power EAPC’s strategic turnaround. 

Kalahari Cement, he disclosed, has already commissioned a leading global engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor to provide a turnkey clinkerisation plant design for EAPC. 

“Amsons Group is putting its money where its mouth is to power Kenya’s development and economic transformation. We appreciate that the delivery of the 10-year national development roadmap will be heavily reliant on the local availability of quality cement and concrete products,” Mr Nahdi explained.

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