Billionaire industrialist Narendra Raval has opened his West Pokot clinker factory. The clinker factory named Cemtech Limited is located at Sebit in West Pokot County.
The factory is the latest addition to a list of businesses owned by the billionaire industrialist under the Devki Group umbrella.
“The new Cemtech plant is poised to change the perception of the community in West Pokot and that of Kenya, as the plant will produce clinker for export,” said Raval. The majority of the clinker produced at this factory will be exported to East African markets.
The factory has the capacity to produce 6 metric tonnes of clinker every year, which is more than the total clinker required in Kenya of 5 million metric tonnes per year.
The new factory is expected to employ hundreds of workers who will add to the current workforce of over 10,000 Kenyans who work directly at Devki Group.
“We have over 11,000 Kenyans working directly with the group. In Uganda, we have 600 employees, while in Rwanda, we have employed 250. Our vision is that by 2027/28 after expansion, we will provide direct employment to about 25,000 Kenyans. We plan to invest over $550 million in the next four years,” said Raval.
The factory was initially set to be completed in July 2023 while its first production had been slated for August 2023.
The new plant is expected to produce an additional 2.5 million tonnes of clinker, which is the raw material involved in the manufacturing of cement.
It will become the second largest in Kenya after the Emali plant that is also owned by Raval. The Emali plant currently produces 3.5 tonnes of clinker annually.
The new plant follows an acquisition that saw Mr. Raval buy out Cemtech Limited in 2019. Cemtech had initially proposed to set up the processing factory at Sebit-Ortum in West Pokot County.
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The company had acquired 650 acres of land in the area for the building and running of the factory.
Cemtech was owned by the Indian conglomerate Sanghi Group and had initially purposed to start operating in the area in January 2016.