The Kilifi wire factory is set to start operations in January. Roofings Kenya Limited, a galvanized wire manufacturing company that is setting up the factory made the announcement and explained that operations which were to begin in August stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The factory is essentially complete. We are almost proceeding to the stage of installing the machinery and by January we should be in production we were to start operations in August but then the Covid-19 came and we were forced to shut down all activities. This means we did not have any progress for three months,” said Roofings Kenya Limited chief operating officer John Mucheru.
The Sh 2.5bn investment is located in Mazeras, Kilifi County. It will be producing 4,000 metric tonnes of galvanized wire per month. Currently there is only one galvanized wire manufacturing company in the country at the moment which does not meet the country’s demand which is estimated at about 5,000 metric tonnes a month, which translates to about 48,000 metric tonnes a year. Some two other firms have also applied for licenses to manufacture galvanized wire.
Big Four Agenda
The currently makes up for the county’s demand by importing most of its galvanized wire, which is what is used to make barbed wire, chain links, and in the cabling industry. However, the government, as part of its plan to encourage and support the local manufacturing industry, part of the Big Four Agenda, introduced a 25% excise duty to discourage importation of galvanized wire.
According to Mucheru, when operational the factory will help in not only meeting the demand for Kenya but also for the East African region as well. It will employ at least 200 people from the locality.
“We brought in machines from Belgium, Italy and Germany, three countries that produce the best machinery when it comes to galvanized wire. We have also made inquiries for sending the same products to countries such as the US and Australia because we believe in the quality of what we can produce,” said Mr. Mucheru.
