Kenya surveils substandard cement

Three out of five cement samples that the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) collected in a market surveillance operation failed the standards test. The report indicates that only 38.1 per cent of the cement tested in February 2022 met the required standards, including the capacity to withstand the slightest pressure without crumbling. 

Subsequent tests found that the quality of cement improved, with 63.4 per cent meeting the compressive strength test in December 2023, which the standards body attributed to “successful surveillance, corrective actions and enhanced quality control by manufacturers.” Revelations of the existence of substandard cement in the market exposes a potential disaster amid an aggressive push for universal home ownership by the administration of President William Ruto. Previous surveys indicating a significant share of buildings in Nairobi were unfit for habitation. 

KEBS Managing Director, Esther Ngari, blamed the proliferation of low-quality cement in the market on “shortcuts by manufacturers” and also “counterfeiting”. 

Ms Ngari said, “Products that failed to meet the standards were subjected to targeted withdrawals and recalls. Manufacturers are notified to remove non-compliant batches from the market. The market is dynamic, and subsequent testing, as seen in the improved compliance percentages in later periods, indicates that corrective measures and continuous monitoring have been effective.”