The East African Cement Producers’ Association is petitioning the five East African Community partner states to restore a 35 per cent tariff on imported cement products or face legal action at the East African Court of Justice to protect the collapsing industry.

The association says it is trying to save the closure of the seven cement manufacturing plants in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, which between them employ more than 5,000 people.

Governments in EAC need to sit down with cement firms and listen to expert suggestions to protect the domestic industry, as one of the prime objectives of the Customs Union is to guarantee East Africans enjoyment of the benefits of growing their economies.