The standard gauge railway, Kenya's biggest infrastructure project since its independence in 1963, was launched last month, after nearly five years of construction, as part of Madaraka Day to commemorate the country's attainment of self-rule.

Apex Steel, the East Africa steel manufacturer with nearly 47 years' experience, was one of five local companies selected by the contractor, China Road and Bridge Corp, to provide steel for the project.

Apex provided more than 10,000 metric tons of steel for the 609 kilometers of track. The trip, from Nairobi to Mombasa, which typically takes about nine to 10 hours by bus, has been reduced to four to five hours.

James Chen, CRBC business manager, says in 2015 that "local suppliers can supply materials more efficiently and in a timely manner."

All cement for the project was locally sourced and the railway cars were made in Kenya, resulting in the creation of more than 25,000 jobs.

Kush Nathwani, executive director of the company, says, "A major reason that Apex Steel was selected to supply steel for the (standard gauge railway) is because it has pioneered the introduction of high-quality, world-class steel to the region."

In 2006, Apex became the first company in East Africa to manufacture to the internationally accepted standard, at its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Athi River.

"Apex Steel is also the first company to have a world-class, in-house testing facility that ensures that all steel manufactured and supplied to clients is of the highest quality," he says.

Every meter of steel supplied by Apex for the standard gauge railway is branded with the trademark, "APEX TMX," as an added assurance that the steel used has undergone a rigorous German engineering process that ensures consistency and excellence.

APEX TMX is also the only steel manufactured locally that has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, making Apex the only steel company in East and Central Africa to manufacture steel using a process that is globally recognized as environmentally friendly.

"The certification, which is a rating system that evaluates the environmental performance of an organization, encourages market transformation toward sustainable design," Nathwani says.

The Kenya Standard Gauge Railway is among the iconic projects that Apex Steel has been part of, he says.

In Kenya, the company has supplied steel for the construction of such projects as the Nairobi-Thika superhighway, the Mombasa Port expansion, the Tsavo-Embakasi transmission line and the Tana River hydroelectric power plant, as well as Villa Rosa Kempinski, Westgate Mall, Sankara Hotel, Delta Towers, Lab and Allied, Sameer Business Park, CFC Bank, Purshottam Place, 9 West, One West, 14 Riverside, Hotel Radisson, Riverside Park, English Point Marina, the Southern and Northern Bypasses, the Sondu-Miriu Dam and Kwale Base Titanium.

Across the border in Uganda, Apex steel has been used in building the bridge over the River Nile and for the Kampala-Northern Bypass expansion.

The completed railway line from Nairobi to Mombasa is the first phase of a multicountry initiative that aims to connect Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda and Uganda.

For China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 07/21/2017 page29)