Cement consumption was four per cent higher in the second half of 2012 than a similar period in 2011, signalling the construction sector’s return to health.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows cement consumed in the last six months of the year increased to 2,058,931 metric tonnes compared to 1,980,070MT in the previous year, rising by 78,861MT. The increase in the second half was higher than the overall year, which increased by a paltry 1.7 per cent to 3,937,263MT from 3,870,930MT.
The quantity of cement manufactured in the second half increased by 2.5 per cent to 2,375,129MT from 2,318,116MT in the same period in 2011. Full-year production was up by 3.6 per cent to 4,639,723MT from 4,478,428MT.
The building and construction and real estate sectors are emerging from a slump occasioned by a high interest rate regime since the second half of 2011 which saw credit to the sectors hard to come-by.
The value of building plans approved by the City Council of Nairobi alone in the year amounted to Sh189.6 billion, with the bulk of it higher in the second half.
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