Kenyan tycoon Narendra Raval’s Devki Group to build cement plant

Devki Group, a leading conglomerate headed by Kenyan industrialist Narendra Raval, has unveiled plans to construct a state-of-the-art cement processing plant in Eldoret, a prominent town situated in Kenya’s Rift Valley region.

The privately owned conglomerate’s subsidiary, Cemtech Limited, recently acquired by Simba Cement, will spearhead the implementation of this ambitious project, which is expected to significantly augment the group’s cement production capacity.

According to Devki Group’s official statement, the proposed plant will utilize clinker, limestone, and gypsum to manufacture cement.

The clinker materials required for the plant will be sourced both locally and imported from the group’s integrated plants in Kenya. Additionally, third-party contractors based in Nakuru will supply Pozzolana, limestone, and gypsum.

While Devki Group continues its expansion of Simba Cement’s production capacity following the acquisition of Cemtech Limited in 2022, the conglomerate has simultaneously established a steel production unit in Kwale County.

This strategic move aligns with the group’s vision to provide cost-effective industrial steel to domestic industries.

With a production capacity of 500,000 metric tonnes, the steel mill is poised to generate 2,500 jobs, with 60 percent of them being direct employment opportunities.

The project will also reduce Kenya’s dependence on imported industrial steel products required for billet, wire rod, and TMT bar production.

Raval, the chairman of Devki Group, expressed his enthusiasm for the new factory, highlighting its significance as the largest of its kind in Africa.

Moreover, the plant stands as the region’s first raw steel production facility utilizing locally sourced iron ore.

Raval believes this development will revolutionize the East African nations, which have traditionally been net importers of raw steel.

Narendra Raval, along with his wife, founded Devki Group in Nairobi in 1986 as a small steel-processing and trade enterprise.

Through their visionary leadership, the company has grown exponentially, evolving into the largest manufacturer of building materials and steel products in East and Central Africa. Raval maintains majority control over the conglomerate.