Kalahari Cement snaps up Portland's lion's share
Edha Munif, the Managing Director, Kalahari Cement
Regulators have given Kalahari Cement, a subsidiary of Amsons Group, the greenlight to acquire the lions share in the East Afican Portland Cement (EAPC) Ltd.
This follows approval from the Capital Markets Authority, the Competition Authority of Kenya and the Ministry of Mining for Kalahari Cement to seal the acquisition of 27 percent stake held by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) in EAPC.
This transaction now makes Kalahari Cement the majority shareholder of EAPCC with a 69 percent shareholding.
Explaining why Amsons wanted to become the majority shareholder in EAPCC, Edha Munif, the Managing Director, said, “We see so much potential in the cement market in Kenya, and we are committed to growing it even more. We plan to make a significant investment in EAPCC with the aim that we triple production capacity in the next three years."
He added, "We also plan on building another clinkerisation plant, which will lead to thousands of new jobs being created and increased revenue for Kenya as sales grow. This will also be very beneficial for other industries, including logistics and construction. I have always believed in local production as one of the best ways to grow and stabilise an economy, and now we have another opportunity to prove this through our acquisition of EAPCC.”
EAPCC has not been profitable for 13 years. Shareholders were finally paid a dividend for the first time this year, but this was because of the sale of land owned by EAPCC.
Now that the sale of shares to Amsons has been completed, EAPCC can finally receive much-needed investment, which will allow the company to become profitable again and lead to further stability of the Kenyan cement market, requiring fewer imports.
Amsons Group acquired Bamburi Cement in December 2024. Since then, Bamburi has recorded a double-digit increase in EBITDA owing to improved efficiency and group support.
Through Bamburi, Amsons has also started work on a new 5000 TPD clinker facility (1.6M TPA) in Kwale County, which is expected to create more than 1000 direct jobs.
The Matuga plant is an investment that requires more than 300 million USD in FDI and will help improve economic activity in the region