West Pokot cement plant construction yet to start decades later

Construction of the multimillion-shilling cement factory in Sebit, West Pokot County has not kicked off a decade after it was commissioned by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, dashing hopes by the residents who anticipated to benefit economically and socially from emerging job opportunities.

The residents attribute the delayed implementation to political hostility among local leaders and relevant government departments and want the contentious issues resolved.

“We fail to understand why this project is taking too long to kick off despite the investor who won the tender making several visits to the site,” said Mr Emmanuel Limarusi from Sebit, where limestone deposits, raw material for cement manufacturing are found.

A wheelbarrow of those stones goes for as low as Sh120.

“We are selling along the road and those using this highway are the ones who come for these products, it goes as far as Mombasa, Nakuru, Baringo and Lodwar, in a day, I can produce four wheelbarrows and collect them here until I can get a substantial quantity of more than 30 tonnes which gives me Sh6,000. It helps me provide for my family and educate my children,” said Margaret Jairo, a trader of limestone at Kapng’arng’ar.

The residents are opposed to the move by some private developers who want to buy the land at Sh400,000 per acre instead of establishing the cement factory which they say will boost the region’s economy.

“There is an investor who has been mapping this area with the aim of buying these lands from us so that he can take this limestone somewhere else leaving us without the factory which we have been waiting for the last 10 years. We cannot take Sh400,000 per acre because we need a long term investment,” said James Obama, another resident.