NAIROBI, Kenya, April 1 – Bamburi Cement Ltd will launch a new mine factory in Kwale County as demand for cement increases.
The cement manufacturer has been undertaking exploration and prospecting of shale (clay materials compacted into rocks over time) in the area since 2018.
The firm’s former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Seddiq Hassani, and the incoming CEO, Mohit Kapoor, revealed the plan when they paid the county’s governor, Fatuma Achani.
The two briefed local leadership on steps made in land acquisition processes to set up the shale mining factory.
Hassani said the Bamburi Cement industrial strategy is to scale up business on the South Coast and establish a 5,000-ton per day clinker plant.
Kapoor said the cement company has already developed a livelihood restoration program for all those who will be affected by the mining project, as well as guidelines for compensation and relocation.
The proposed shale mining location sits on approximately 700 acres of land currently owned by local communities that are practicing maize, cassava, mango, and coconut farming in the area.
Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock that forms from the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles that we commonly call “mud.”
It is used as an additive to lime during the production of a categorized quality of cement product.
The proposed shale quarry is expected to provide about 20 percent of the total resource material for the clinker production process.
Governor Achani said they are positive about the company’s investment in Kwale and invite other investors to come and explore the many untapped opportunities in the county.
“Strengthening the business environment and making it conducive for investments is our top priority,” she said, assuring local and international investors of a conducive business environment.
