Pokot Factory scheduled for completion at end-2013, Kenya

A new 1.2Mta cement factory being constructed in the Pokot region of Kenya, will be completed within the next 15 months, Rajesh Kumar Rawal, director of the Cemtech Sanghi Group who is building the factory.

Mr Rawal said the planning stages have been completed and the new plant is scheduled to be opened by the end of 2013. He said design of the plant, machinery and equipment was almost complete in India and China and will be shipped to Kenya in the coming months, AllAfrica news reports.

"It's a complex project but we are committed to completing it within the next 15 month so that it is commissioned for operations," Rawal said.

For the last 10 years, multinational companies led by Lafarge have dominated the East African cement market. This concentrated market has meant minimal competition, however, since 2008 increases in capacity have mainly been driven by new local entrants.

Production in Kenya last year stood at 3.985Mt and is expected to increase to 5.408Mt by 2013. Domestic consumption, meanwhile is 3.4Mt which is set to rise to 4.2Mt by 2013, according to estimates from Standard Investment Bank.