Fixtures & Appliances

Chinese Investor Bets Sh16bn on Kisumu Tiles Factory

Keda Ceramics has already acquired 150 acres for the project.

Updated on

May 21, 2021

Keda Ceramics MD Ruiqin Li. PHOTO | COURTESY

Keda Ceramics Ltd., formerly Twyford Ceramics, is set to build a Sh16 billion tiles factory in Miwani, Kisumu, as it seeks to meet the demand for floor and wall tiles in western Kenya.

The company has acquired 150 acres for the factory whose construction is set to begin next month. The factory will produce wall tiles, porcelain floor tiles and semi-porcelain tiles.

On Thursday, Keda Ceramics managing director Ruiqin Li said the company had already obtained all the required licences to pave the way for construction works next month.

“The factory will use modern technology to manufacture tiles,” Li said, adding that the facility will create about 2,500 jobs for the local community upon its completion.

Li, who spoke in Kisumu during a meeting with Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, said phase one of the project will involve the construction of a production line for wall and floor tiles.

The tiles will measure 200mm x 300mm, 300mm x 300mm and 400mm x 400mm due to the prevailing market demand.

Keda Ceramics, which operates in India, Italy, Ghana, Zambia and Senegal, has a 60-acre ceramics plant in Kajiado where it invested Sh7 billion in 2016.

“Owing to the technical support from KEDA Clean Energy and Dowstone, as well as local high-quality clay, (Keda) can achieve the high-quality local production of 300mm x300mm, 400mm x 400mm ceramic tiles and HD inkjet ceramic tiles,” the company says.

“Our products are popular in Asia, Africa and America (due) to trendy and mainstream specifications and colours. So, the demand for our products exceeds the supply.”

Keda Ceramics plans to use the rehabilitated Kisumu port to export its products to other parts of East and Central Africa, including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo.

“Other than providing for the local demand, we hope to transcend the boundaries and satisfy the market needs of our neighbouring countries,” Li said.

The rising demand for ceramic tiles from both residential and non-residential construction segments in Kenya is expected to provide growth opportunities for Keda Ceramics.

Thanks to their aesthetic look, sustainability, and reliability, floor and wall tiles are becoming popular among Kenyans with disposable incomes – fuelling the local market growth.