Cement sales grow

East African Portland Cement, one of the country’s leading producers, sold more than 60,000 tonnes of cement in July, the highest ever in the company’s history.

"Compared to the monthly average of 30,000-40,000t, the sales in July are an indication of an economy picking up," Mr Tom Waiharo, Portland’s commercial manager, told the Business Intelligence.

According to Waiharo, one of the main factors that have ratcheted cement sales in the past few months is the Constituency Development Fund. He says that many constituencies are now investing in building of schools and other projects that use cement. Constituencies from Kitui have been ordering large volumes of cement using, he said.

"For the first time we have money coming directly to the constituencies without going through the bureaucracies, and this is having positive effect on cement manufacturers," adds Waiharo.

At the same time, Waiharo says that the firm is committed to having the prices of cement reduced to affordable levels. For instance, he says, Portland has only effected a single price rise this year in response to high fuel prices.