Local cement and concrete products manufacturers are pushing for the adoption of low-carbon cement to support sustainable building and construction standards. At a Green Industrialisation and Manufacturing Panel session at the Kenya Industrialisation Summit 2026, Bamburi Cement Plc Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Director Eng Jane Wangari said the company has developed low-carbon cement products to advance green and sustainable manufacturing goals. The summit was officially opened by President William Ruto.
Eng Wangari disclosed that Bamburi Cement had formulated, developed and delivered to the market a low-carbon cement product branded as Bamburi DuraCem Cement. This eco-friendly, sulphate and chloride-resistant 42.5 grade cement is made in Kenya, for large or marine construction projects. The manufacturing process, including the use of alternative fuels such as rice husks and waste tyres, delivers a cement product with 64% lower Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions than ordinary Portland cement.
According to Eng Wangari, one 50-kg bag of Bamburi DuraCem carries about 64% less carbon dioxide than ordinary Portland cement. This translates to roughly 25 kg of carbon dioxide saved per bag, about the same as burning 10 litres of petrol. By adopting wider use of low-carbon cement products in public and private sector construction, the cumulative effect will spur a green industrialisation and manufacturing revolution.
Eng Wangari added that public tender specifications that award higher scores for lower-carbon-emission cements can stimulate wider adoption of locally manufactured low-carbon cement products. She also suggested that including low-carbon cement in the Central Bank of Kenya Green Finance Taxonomy will help encourage wider adoption and use. This will make "low-carbon" a number anyone can check, like a nutrition label on a packet of unga.
Bamburi Cement has supplied cement and concrete solutions for complex national development projects, including Talanta Sports Stadium Development, Rironi Mau Summit Road, Standard Gauge Railway, Dongo Kundu Highway, Mwache Dam, Thwake Dam, and Makupa Bridge, among others. The company is also well positioned to deliver more than 1 million tons of cement for the new Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemical SEZ in Lamu County.
As part of its corporate business development plans, Bamburi Cement late last year signed a US$250 million (Ksh 32 billion) Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract with Sinoma CBMI Construction Co., Ltd to build a turnkey clinkerisation factory in Matuga, Kwale County. The construction of the state-of-the-art 1.6 million tonnes-a-year new clinkerisation plant, incorporating advanced, carbon-neutral technologies to reduce environmental impact, is part of Bamburi Cement’s corporate strategy to double its production capacity for quality cement and concrete products.
Through the turnkey clinkerisation factory, Bamburi Cement Plc aims to more than double its clinker and ultimately its cement production capacities, from 1 million Tons to 2.6 million Tons for Clinker and from 1.8 million Tons to 4 million Tons for quality cement. This will power Kenya’s infrastructure development and economic transformation. The company is seeking to secure long-term clinker self-sufficiency, expand production capacity, and support national infrastructure demands.
Key points
- Bamburi Cement has developed low-carbon cement products to advance green and sustainable manufacturing goals.
- Public tender specifications that award higher scores for lower-carbon-emission cements can stimulate wider adoption of locally manufactured low-carbon cement products.
- Bamburi Cement aims to more than double its clinker and cement production capacities through a new turnkey clinkerisation factory in Matuga, Kwale County.
