13 suspects have been arrested and eight lorries detained following a crackdown on substandard cement at KEBS officers in Nairobi.
A total of 1,774 bags were inspected during the operation which revealed that top brands like Bamburi Cement, Simba Cement, Blue Triangle Cement and Mombasa Cement were affected by the illegal business.
“Following yesterday’s crackdown on cartels involved in the adulteration of major brands of cement where 13 suspects were arrested and 8 loaded lorries detained, today the verification of the seizure amounting to 1,774 bags has been conducted at KEBS offices in Nairobi.
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Most of the brands affected include Bamburi Cement, Simba Cement, Blue Triangle Cement and Mombasa Cement.
The repackaged cement has not only been found to be way less the declared weight of 50kg, but also contained non-cementing material such as pozzolanic dust which greatly reduces the quality of cement.
It is unfortunate that some of the packaging bags, and which do not originate from the manufacturers, were dated 2025 but without batch numbers, meaning the daring cartel had prospects of distributing the substandard construction material to various hardwares across the country.
Investigations have so far established that rogue employees (particularly drivers) of the affected companies have been colluding with greedy businesspersons strategically placed along the transport routes, who illegally repackage the cargo and share the benefits amongst themselves. The perpetrators, most of whom own hardwares, then hawk the substandard cement to unsuspecting customers.
The results of their felonious activities are huge losses to the genuine manufacturers, poor quality construction works and the numerous lives lost when buildings collapse.” said DCI
Members of the public have been urged to conduct due diligence when handling some of their favorite brands as they may have been counterfeited or interfered with.
