Kalahari Cement, a subsidiary of conglomerate Amsons Group, has completed purchase of stake in troubled East African Portland Cement Plc (EAPC) securing 29.2 percent equity in the Athi River-based cement maker nearly a year after the Group entered the local market through the purchase of Bamburi Cement.

The latest transaction will see Tanzania-based Amsons Group firm up its grip on regional cement market following its December 2024 purchase of Bamburi for an estimated KES23.2 billion. 

With Bamburi Cement’s integration into its stable, Amsons Group’s total cement manufacturing capacity more than doubled to 13,000 metric tonnes per day, a capacity that is likely to expand with the latest stake investment.

In a statement on Wednesday, Kalahari Cement, which was registered in the country on 27th May 2025, said the EAPC deal is part of a strategic long-term investment plan geared at advancing Kenya's industrialization and development agenda.

The firm added that it has purchased 13,144,442 (14.6 percent) ordinary shares in the issued share capital of EAPC from Associated International Cement Limited (AIC) and another 13,180,442 (14.6 percent) ordinary shares in EAPC from Cementia Holding AG at KES27.30 per share.

Share purchase agreement

The parties signed a share purchase agreement (SPA) on July 31, 2025, and receive a nod of approval from the relevant regulators, sealing the transaction on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

Amsons Group Managing Director Edha Nahdi termed the acquisition as a “strategic investment” designed to build long-term value for EAPC, by strengthening the firm’s infrastructure and providing access to additional resources.

Nahdi added that the deal will enable Kalahari Cement to strategically leverage its resources to drive growth and strengthen the cement industry’s infrastructure through enhanced production capabilities and the creation of new opportunities for innovation and market expansion.

“Our subsidiary Kalahari Cement is a committed and experienced strategic investor and will leverage its market positioning to provide capital and technical resources necessary to transform EAPC into one of Kenya’s leading Cement manufacturers by volume and profitability, as part of our corporate contribution to Kenya’s economic prosperity,” Mr Nahdi said.

He added, “As a long-term strategic investor, Kalahari Cement will assist EAPC to achieve its strategic objectives through a shared prosperity model with all stakeholders, from staff, trade partners and government of Kenya agencies. At Amsons Group, we do not intend to spare any resource, financial or otherwise, in our turnaround partnership with all EAPC Stakeholders.”

Exemption from mandatory take-over

The shares acquired by Kalahari Cement represent a 29.2 percent stake in EAPC and will enable the firm, which is also associated with Mbeya Cement in Tanzania and Bamburi Cement Plc in Kenya, to help steer the future of the company. 

The firm’s Notice of Intention to acquire the equity stakes was publicly published on July 31, and indicated that Kalahari would apply to the CMA for an exemption from the requirement to make a mandatory take-over offer to all shareholders in EAPC as part of the Proposed Acquisition (the Exemption Application).

Amsons Group is a regional business conglomerate with interests across manufacturing, oil and gas as well as transport. 

The Group operates a 500 metric tonnes per day wheat flour milling plant, a premix concrete plant, Inland Container Depots, fuel and lubricants, Liquefied Petroleum Gas, alongside a transportation fleet serving Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Tanzania. 

In the fuel sector, Amsons Group runs fuel depots in Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, and DRC, all with a combined network of over 150 retail stations.

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