The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has suspended the manufacturing permits of Chinese steel maker Rongtai on claims of substandard ribbed bars following a market surveillance conducted by the agency.
In a public notice on Tuesday, Kebs said it had seized substandard products from the firm’s premises and from the market, in addition to directing the company to immediately halt production of non-compliant ribbed bars.
“As part of enforcement measures, 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, and suspended operations of the company until it demonstrates full compliance with required standards,” wrote Kebs.
“In light of this, Kebs strongly advises the public against purchasing or using ribbed bars from Rongtai Steel Company Limited until further notice. The use of substandard construction materials undermines the structural integrity of buildings and endangers public safety.” Rongtai Steel had not responded to an e-mailed request for comment by press time.
Located in Machakos County, Rongtai Steel was set up in Kenya in September 2023 with a $30 million (Sh3.9 billion at current conversion rates) investment by a Chinese private enterprise.
A spot check on the firm’s website shows that the company covers an area of nearly 16 acres and employs more than 500 staff.
“The company mainly produces rebar and related products, which are widely used in the construction and transportation infrastructure fields, and the annual output is about 300,000 tons,” reads the write-up on the company’s ‘about’ page.
The Kebs suspension comes amid a rise in the number of buildings collapsing, with some deaths being reported.
It also lifts the lid on a disaster in waiting amid an aggressive push for universal home ownership by the President William Ruto-led administration.
The high demand for housing, especially in Kenya’s urban settings has led to some property developers bypassing building regulations to cut costs and increase profits.
A report in September last year, for example, indicated that three in every five samples of cement products that Kebs collected in a market surveillance operation failed the standards test.
Several stakeholder reports have blamed the collapses on poor workmanship have blamed building collapses on poor workmanship and the use of substandard materials.
Between 2009 and 2019, a total of 86 buildings valued at over Sh2.4 billion collapsed, according to a 2019 report by the National Construction Authority (NCA).
The report blamed the mess on substandard building materials, mainly cement and steel, and poor workmanship.