Funzi Island quarry trade booms over Coast's high demand for stones

Fuelled by an insatiable demand in the coastal counties, trade in building stones is booming at the Funzi quarries in Kwale County.

The stones from the mostly unexploited Funzi Island, about 65 kilometres south of Mombasa, are a source of livelihoods for many people, including some from upcountry.

The white stones are a product of hard labour and sweat.

Miners begin their day at 5 am before the scorching sun kicks in.

Armed with their pickaxes, they dig deep, with most aiming for their daily target of 100 stones per person.

“It really gets hot at around 9 am prompting us to rest until 4 pm,” says the workers group vice-chairman, Salim Mohammed.

Large pieces of the white stone are cut and hauled to different places in the Coast.

“Each block sells at Sh13 at the quarry. Sometimes it goes up to Sh15,” he says, adding that the quarry prices could be higher were it not for brokers and unscrupulous middlemen who buy at low prices and sell the blocks at exorbitant prices.

Market for blocks

The three-acre quarry in the island produces 5,000 to 10,000 machine and manually cut stones a day.

Mombasa, Msambweni, Vanga and Kilifi provide are main market for the blocks.

“The construction industry is opening up in the counties .The demand for stones is really high. We sell them from here but they are transported to other areas,” Mr Mohammed, whose site has 120 miners, says.

Every miner owns their stones. The land owner gets Sh2 per stone from the miners.

Although the tools of extraction have changed over the times, some miners are still hesitant to adopt to the new ways.

The hand operated grinder cuts into the boulder, which allows easier excavation of the blocks. Mr Mohammed says with the machine one can meet the rising demand of the blocks.

“Miners with the grinder produce up to 700 blocks per day. Those without may make around 40 or 30 stones depending on your hard work," he said. Other workers say they make up to 120 blocks daily.

However, Mr Mohamed says, the new machines are unaffordable to many due to low incomes.

A grinding machine and a generator costs about Sh80,000.

If he manages to buy it, he says, it will be a big win as it will lessen the labour he has endured for almost 30 years.

However, he says, the generators use diesel which eats into the miners profits. Funzi has no electricity supply.

The miners also say the Kwale County government collects Sh300 in cess from each truck ferrying the blocks.

Hired workers

Mazera Tsuma, a miner who has been operating the hand-operated grinder for a year, says he has hired three workers to enhance the production of more blocks.

“With the machine I can cut 400 to 700 boulders which when sold, I get at least Sh5,000 per day. I encourage my colleagues who want to thrive to increase production to combine efforts and purchase the machine,” said Mr Tsuma.

Mr Tsuma said it is advisable for one to cover their nose, mouth, ears and eyes while working at the quarry. The grinder makes a lot of noise which affects the hearing.

There is also a lot of dust during the cutting of the boulders, which could cause respiratory problems.

“I always caution the workers to adhere to safety clothing to avoid the adverse effects of the noise from the grinder and also the dust produced during the cutting of the boulders,” added Mr Tsuma.

Although the quarries play a major role in the construction industry in the coastal counties, accessibility especially after rains remains a challenge.

“The road that connects the quarries to the town is poor. When it rains the quarries are almost inaccessible hence business is so low,” he said.

The Funzi Causeway under construction is expected to ease movement of goods and people from Funzi Island to the Milalani-Munje mainland.

Rapid growth

The booming Funzi quarries is a reflection of the rapid growth in the construction industry across the country. Last year, the National Construction Authority (NCA) says it registered 11,000 construction sites.

“Ten years ago, it was hard to record even 3,000 construction sites per year. Last year, we recorded 11,000 sites, a jump over of about 7,000 which is a sign of rapid expanding of the sector,” the authority's chief executive Daniel Manduku said in Mombasa last week.

He said despite the long political period, the sector remained stable.

“It is expected to even grow more this year. Despite recording some fatalities after the collapse of some buildings in Nairobi and Kisii counties we have managed to stay afloat,” Dr Manduku said.