Ban on logging in all public and community forests, however, remains in force.
EAPCC and ARM Cement are deep in the red, with losses running into billions of shillings.
The proposed factory will have an annual capacity of 280,000 tonnes.
A 50kg bag of cement in Nairobi is selling at about Sh700.
Exports to East Africa dropped by 38.3 per cent to 420.4 thousand tonnes in 2016.
The local paint market is dominated by a handful of companies.
A list of common construction materials and how they work.
From April 1, builders will only be allowed to use ribbed steel bars.
From April 1, builders will only be allowed to use ribbed steel bars for reinforcement of concrete.
Developers had last year enjoyed low steel prices due to high output by Chinese manufacturers.