Cement consumption in Kenya has hugely decreased for the first time in 17 years. Its use has gone down by a whopping 6.2 million tonnes and this is mainly due to the low demand that is currently being experienced in the construction sector; this is according to the Economic Survey 2018 released by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
The last time there was such a decrease was in 2000 when it stood at 1.067 million tonnes compared to 1.111 million tonnes the preceding year.
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The report explains that in 2016, about 6.7 million tonnes of cement was consumed, however, the volume dropped by 8.2% in 2017.
Decline in cement use
On the same note, the report also explained that last year’s decline in cement use also came against the background of a decline in the growth of the construction sector. Confirming the reports was KNBS Director General Zachary Mwangi who said that the cement consumption decreased by 8.2% in 2017
“The sector revealed a slower growth of 8.6% in 2017 compared to a 9.8% growth in 2016. Cement consumption decreased by 8.2% in 2017,” he said in his presentation on last year’s economic growth.
Apart from cement, the use of galvanized sheets in construction also decreased by a smaller margin of 2.2% to stand at 262,800 tonnes from 268,700 tonnes in the previous year.
KNBS among other mandates act as the principal agency of the government for collecting, analyzing and disseminating statistical data in Kenya and is also the custodian of official statistics.
