Savannah Eyes Road Sector Billions With New Product

Savannah Cement, a local cement maker, has begun manufacturing Hydraulic Road Binder (HRB) – a cement product that is used to stabilise road surfaces.

The new product, which will be used in place of other cement and lime varieties, will be mixed with soil and water to produce a material that will be used as the foundation for paved roads.

“The new Savannah Cement HRB product, which will retail at a lower rate than conventional cement, is expected to contribute up to 30 per cent approximate cost savings on the Sh25 billion national road construction budget,” said Ronald Ndegwa, the company’s managing director.

Savannah Cement becomes the first Sub Sahara Africa cement company to manufacture the specialist product that is used globally to stabilise road surfaces.

Stabilisation of road surfaces is a process that combines soil, cement and water to produce a hard, durable paving material that can be used for the foundation or base of road and airport pavements.

The HRB product, which was developed at the request of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, has received the Kenya Bureau of Standards certification and is being tested by the ministry.

Earlier this year, Savannah Cement announced plans to build a new Sh8.5 billion clinker plant at its Athi River factory in a bid to boost production capacity.

READ: Savannah Cement plans to build Sh8bn clinker plant

The company has already invested at least Sh8.7 billion to establish cement manufacturing plants in sub-Sahara Africa with a 1.5 million tonnes annual production capacity.

Savanna Cement is a joint venture comprising Savannah Heights – a consortium of local investors, Wan-Ho, a Chinese firm and Catic Cement (Kenya) sharing stakes at 40 per cent, 40per cent and 20 per cent respectively.

Join 15,000+ pros getting our weekly digest of news and insights.