Bamburi the region’s leading cement producer closed at Ksh176 on the NSE today. This is Ksh6 more than yesterday. The group was one of the five top gainers on the bourse. Standard Group Limited was first with an 8% increase. Eveready came second with a rise of 6.2%. Sameer came in third with a jump of 3.7%. Bamburi came in fourth with a rise of 3.5%. The group’s 2011 full year report states that pre-tax profit increased to Ksh8.5 billion. This was up 12% from 2010. Fred Opondo market analyst based in the NSE said, ‘stocks rising between 1 and 5 per cent are usually because of demand from investors.’

Bamburi recently invested in Uganda which is expected to be a major revenue driver for the company. This move has contributed to its standing as East Africa’s leading cement producer. Bamburi’s turnover jumped by 28% due to an increase in the volume of exports. The jump was also driven by stable domestic prices as well as the strength of the US dollar which led to better export prices.

The group says that the outlook for 2012 is still vague following Kenya’s current political environment and the uncertain rate of inflation.