Connect with us

Company News

Indian Firm Eyes Kenya’s Construction Industry Billions

The company will target ‘small and medium construction projects’.

Updated

Migaa golf Kiambu.
A gated community in Kiambu. Kenya is enjoying a real estate boom. PHOTO | FILE

Pidilite Industries Ltd., India’s largest construction chemical manufacturer, is expanding to Kenya as it seeks to tap into the country’s booming construction sector.

Pidilite President of Sales for Africa Shankha Banerjee told reporters in Nairobi on Tuesday that the Mumbai-based firm was aggressively marketing its range of adhesives in effort to establish a regional presence.

“We want to serve the growing demand for water proof technology in Kenya as well as the rest of east Africa,” Banerjee said.

Mr Banerjee said the company will target ‘small and medium construction projects’.

The Fevicol, Dr. Fixit, Acron and Cyclo are some of Pidilite’s most famous brands. The firm also manufactures Fevi Kwik – India’s first ever One Drop Instant Adhesive.

Pidilite industries, one of the largest construction chemical firm in Asia, has appointed Crown Classic Industries – a local water proofing products distributor – as the sole distributor and marketer of its products in Kenya.

Pidilite has a presence in Ghana, South Africa and Egypt. The company joins other global firms that have in the past year announced plans to invest in the Kenyan construction market.

In October 2013, South Korean steel roof tile maker Feroof announced plans to establish a roofing tile plant in Kenya to cash in on the growing demand for steel roofing tiles in the country.

STORY: Korean firm FEROOF to open roof tile plant in Kenya

Stanlib, a subsidiary of South Africa Liberty Group, had earlier said it was planning to invest Sh5.2 billion in construction of a maximum of two shopping malls in Nairobi within the next two years.

Stanlib’s compatriot Sanlam announced in June that it would invest Sh5.5 billion in the Kenyan real estate sector through the US$1 billion Sanlam Africa Core Real Estate Fund that was launched in May on the Mauritius Stock Exchange.

STORY: South African firm eyes Kenyan construction billions

The Kenyan construction industry is expected to enjoy exponential growth over the next decade mainly due to a swelling population and government’s spending on major infrastructure projects around the country.

Judy Mwende, a Journalism graduate from the University of Nairobi, is a seasoned writer and editor with more than a decade of practical experience covering the global construction industry.