Bamburi upbeat on outlook

Kenya-based Bamburi Cement’s operating growth increased by 5.8 per cent last year to KES5.5bn (US$60m) and is upbeat on the outlook for both local and export sales.

“We are very optimistic about market growth prospects in both our domestic and inland Africa export markets and are well positioned to benefit from them,” Bruno Pescheux, group managing director, told East African Business Week.

“At the same time, a number of large infrastructure projects have been or are being launched in both Kenya and Uganda, which with our wide cement and concrete portfolio of brands across the region, places us in a strong position to supply. This, together with our improving cost base following the completion of a number of cost containment measures at all our plants, gives us good foundation for a robust 2015,” Pescheux added.

Part of the Lafarge group, Bamburi is the Kenya’s leading cement producer with an estimated 30 per cent share of the market. With one 1.1Mta integrated plant at Mombasa and a 1Mta grinding plant at Athi River, just outside Nairobi, the company has a total capacity of 2.1Mta. The company also owns the Hima cement plant in Uganda, a concrete products company and Lafarge Eco Systems which manages the rehabilitation of quarries.