Kenya, July 3 -- Bamburi Cement, the top cement company in Kenya, has recently been bought by Tanzania's Amsons Group for KSh 23.2 billion. This change has caused a lot of problems within the company.
On July 3, 2025, all workers on the weighbridge team received sudden verbal notices saying they might lose their jobs in one month.
This decision has upset many employees and labour unions because the Kenyan workers are being replaced by staff from Tanzania. The new Tanzanian workers will start at Bamburi's facilities in August 2025.
The Kenyan employees, who must now teach their Tanzanian replacements until July, have said they feel disrespected and criticised the way management communicated these changes. They feel it's unfair and have called the situation "dehumanising".
This issue started when Amsons Group bought a large part (96.54%) of Bamburi Cement in December 2024 after winning a bid against another Kenyan company, Savannah Clinker.
Amsons, a big company in Tanzania that also makes cement under names like Camel Cement and Tembo Cement, promises to invest $400 million to improve Bamburi's operations. This includes building a new clinker plant in Matuga, Kwale County.
However, the way the job termination notices were given - just verbally and without written contracts or clear timelines - has faced strong criticism.
Workers feel caught off guard, with one anonymous employee saying, "We're training our replacements under pressure, with no respect or clear information - it feels dehumanising."
The Kenya Building, Construction, Timber, and Furniture Industries Employees Union has spoken out against the layoffs, accusing Amsons of choosing foreign workers over local talent. This is despite earlier promises from CEO Edha Nahdi to keep Bamburi's local workforce.
Many Kenyans, including social media users like @C_NyaKundiH, are upset and questioning the fairness of hiring workers from Tanzania instead of keeping local employees.
The lack of clear communication has made matters worse, with workers asking for clarity and either their jobs back or fair severance payments.
This situation could harm Amsons' entry into the Kenyan market, where the company aims to increase cement production to 13,000 MT/day after integrating Bamburi.
As public frustration rises, the Capital Markets Authority and Kenya's Ministry of Labour are being urged to look into possible violations of labour laws.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.