Rongtai Steel Hit with Shock Suspension Over Shoddy Bars

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has suspended manufacturing permits of Machakos County-based Rongtai Steel after market surveillance revealed substandard ribbed bars.

Kebs seized defective products from both the company’s premises and the market, ordering the immediate halt of production. The company now faces a recall of its products and must demonstrate full compliance with national construction standards to resume operations.

“Kebs has seized substandard products from the manufacturer’s premises and the market, directed the company to halt production of non-compliant ribbed bars, ordered a recall of all distributed substandard products from the market,” the agency said on January 28.

“In light of this, Kebs strongly advises the public against purchasing or using ribbed bars from Rongtai Steel Company Limited until further notice.” 

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Located on a 16-acre site in Machakos, Rongtai Steel produces rebar and related products, which are widely used in the construction and transportation infrastructure fields.

The company was started in September 2023 with a $30 million (Sh3.9 billion) investment by a Chinese private enterprise. It has an annual output of about 300,000 tonnes.

Despite its swift expansion, Rongtai’s growth has been marred by the substandard quality of its products, with Kebs highlighting the risks of using materials that fail to meet standards.

The crackdown on Rongtai comes at a time when Kenya’s construction sector is grappling with rising safety concerns, including building collapses. In 2023, Kebs reported that three out of every five cement samples collected failed quality tests. 

This issue forms part of a wider trend, with a 2019 National Construction Authority report revealing that between 2009 and 2019, 86 buildings worth over Sh2.4 billion collapsed, primarily due to substandard materials and poor workmanship.

As Kenya pushes for increased homeownership under President William Ruto’s administration, demand for cheaper construction materials has led some developers to bypass building regulations, further endangering public safety. 

The suspension of Rongtai Steel highlights the need for oversight in the construction industry to ensure that quality materials are used in building Kenya’s future.

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