Kenya courts foreign building-materials manufacturers to close two-million-unit housing gap
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Kenya is using its affordable housing programme to draw foreign manufacturers of building materials into local production, KNCCI President Erick Rutto said as the ninth Big 5 Construct Kenya exhibition opened in Nairobi.
Kenya is seeking to attract foreign manufacturers to set up local production of building materials, targeting a housing deficit of more than two million units while positioning itself as a regional construction hub.
Speaking at the opening of the ninth Big 5 Construct Kenya exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) President Erick Rutto said the country's affordable housing programme offers an opportunity to attract investment, create jobs and reduce dependence on imported construction materials.
Rutto said incentives for local production and predictable government policy would be decisive. "If we are able to attract them and provide for them incentives for local production, definitely we are going to achieve the target of covering the over two million houses that we need," he said, adding that manufacturers could also use Kenya as a base to serve regional markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He said Italian participation in the exhibition had risen from 17 companies last year to 21 this year, and stressed that long-term consistency mattered most to investors. "The most important thing that the private sector looks at, both local and international, is the policy. And the policy must be long-term, consistent and not changing each and every time," Rutto said.
The exhibition runs until 23 October at the Sarit Expo Centre, with more than 150 exhibitors from over 25 countries showing construction materials, ceramics, plumbing, electrical installations and building equipment. Josine Heijmans, senior vice president at organiser dmg events, said housing, transport and infrastructure projects under Vision 2030 were creating opportunities for international firms.
The programme also features sustainable construction solutions such as energy-efficient panels and environmentally friendly paints, alongside sessions on regulatory compliance, risk management and construction standards, while KNCCI and the organisers are arranging business-to-business meetings between international suppliers and Kenyan firms.