A tribute to 60 years of excellence in construction and service to the community
World Class Nature Park
Many people may not know that Bamburi Cement is a key driver of environmental conservation in Kenya or even that most of the large infrastructure projects in the country bear an imprint of Bamburi Cement.
Back in 1971, the company launched what today is regarded as one of the most successful quarry rehabilitation projects and the only one of its kind in the world. So outstanding was the project that in 1987, Haller Park (it was then known as the Bamburi Quarry Nature Park) won the inaugural ‘Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievement’ by the United Nations Environment Programme.
The park, which Bamburi Cement started in collaboration with leading conservationist Dr. Rene Haller and after whom it was named, involved reclaiming land used up in mining limestone, a key raw material in cement manufacture.
The park, which has continued to win awards globally every year, receives over 200,000 visitors each year and serves as an environmental education centre. Through its subsidiary, Lafarge Ecosystems Limited, Bamburi Cement continues to drive its environmental protection and rehabilitation initiatives.
It plants 500,000 trees annually under its biofuel project.
To date, Bamburi has in partnership with local communities planted over three million trees.
Infrastructure Development and Innovation
It is not only in environmental conservation that Bamburi has made a mark. The cement maker has a hand in virtually every huge infrastructure project in Kenya and the region.
Key among these is the Thika Superhighway project, expansion of the Jomo Kenyatta Airport, upgrading of Kisumu Airport, Sondu Miriu Dam and construction of the northern and eastern by-passes in Nairobi.
Others are the Northern Corridor Improvement Project (Mombasa-Malaba highway) and upgrading of the Athi River-Namanga road among many other projects.
Besides cement, Bamburi has spearheaded the development of concrete paving and other innovative products. The biggest concrete road in Kenya, Mbagathi Way in Nairobi, was a project driven by Bamburi in conjunction with Government and the East Africa Cement Producers Association.
Its subsidiary Bamburi Special Products has also developed a special kind of readyto- use cement called ‘Ready Mix’ which cuts construction time while ensuring safety.
Health, safety and socio-economic development
Road accidents result in the loss of over 3,000 lives in Kenya annually. As part of its safety programme, Bamburi launched an annual Road Safety Campaign in 2006.
The campaign, which partners with the National Road Safety Council, focuses on reducing carnage on Kenyan roads by continuously imparting defensive driving skills for employees and the drivers of the company’s transport contractors. With one out of seven trucks on the road affiliated with our business every day – we have continued to achieve zero accidents and have greatly influenced truck driver mentality. In 2011, Bamburi Cement was internationally recognised by being inducted into the Lafarge Health and Safety Excellence Club for having fulfilled strict performance indicators and excelling in the safety maturity audits; only two other African countries belong to this prestigious club.
Through its corporate social responsibility programme, Bamburi supports a malaria control project targeting its employees and the communities living around its plant in Bamburi, Mombasa. The project involves purchase of insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
The firm contributes three per cent of its profits to social projects, about Sh100 million annually in health, environment, education and safety initiatives. The Green Schools Project involving 134 schools in four provinces has planted over 600,000 trees benefiting more than 60,000 students across Kenya.
Bamburi is a major employer in the country employing 1,200 people directly and more than 4,000 indirectly. including contractors. It is also one of the largest taxpayers averaging Ksh 2.3 billion per annum.
The company which launched its operations in 1951 remains a formidable force in the Kenyan corporate landscape. Bamburi’s contribution to environmental conservation and infrastructure development remains truly outstanding.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION COMPANIES THAT MAKE KENYA PROUD Turkwell Dam:
The largest dam and hydro-electric power plant in Kenya. Biofuel project in Mombasa: Women planting tree seedlings. Ready mix concrete truck delivering concrete to a construction site. Times Tower: The tallest tower in East and Central Africa . A Hippo at Haller Park, a rehabilitated limestone quarry in Mombasa.
