Cement, steel and finishing prices in Kenya 2026: a builder’s view

Construction material prices in Kenya have moved significantly over the last 24 months, driven by currency moves, energy costs, global commodity dynamics and domestic supply chain shifts. For owners planning builds or renovations in 2026, the price environment matters. Here is the honest builder’s view.

Cement

• 50kg bag: KES 700 to KES 850 depending on brand and county
• Direction: relatively stable through 2025, modest upward drift in 2026
• Brands: Bamburi, Savannah, Mombasa Cement, EAPCC, Nairobi Cement, Rai Cement
• Drivers: limestone input costs, clinker imports, fuel prices, distribution

Steel reinforcement

• Y8 deformed bar (per 12m length): KES 600 to KES 750
• Y10 (per 12m): KES 950 to KES 1,200
• Y12 (per 12m): KES 1,400 to KES 1,750
• Y16 (per 12m): KES 2,500 to KES 3,100
• Direction: tracks global steel and the shilling; modest stability in early 2026

Aggregates

• Sand (per tonne, Nairobi delivered): KES 1,800 to KES 2,400
• Ballast (per tonne): KES 1,300 to KES 1,800
• Stone (per tonne): KES 1,500 to KES 2,100
• Drivers: NEMA quarry permits, local supply, transport distance

Blocks and bricks

• Machine cut stone (per piece): KES 50 to KES 75
• Hand cut stone (per piece): KES 30 to KES 50
• Concrete blocks (per piece): KES 35 to KES 60
• Clay bricks (per piece): KES 18 to KES 35

Roofing

• Iron sheets (per metre, gauge 30): KES 700 to KES 950
• Stone-coated tiles (per square metre): KES 1,800 to KES 3,200
• Mabati ridge cap (per piece): KES 350 to KES 550
• Roofing timber (per metre): KES 80 to KES 200 depending on grade

Finishes

• Floor tiles (per square metre): KES 1,500 to KES 6,500
• Wall tiles (per square metre): KES 1,200 to KES 4,500
• Paint (per litre): KES 600 to KES 1,400 depending on brand and quality
• Doors (single panel solid wood): KES 8,000 to KES 25,000
• Sanitaryware: huge variance from KES 8,000 to KES 150,000+ per WC suite

All-in build cost benchmarks

Materials are the part of a build with a published price, which is exactly why quotes cluster around them and then diverge everywhere else. What the finished figure per square metre really comes to once labour, professional fees and the contingency nobody budgets are added is set out in construction cost per square metre in Kenya.

• Mid-spec 4-bed Nairobi standalone: KES 45,000 to KES 65,000 per square metre
• High-spec 4-bed Nairobi standalone: KES 70,000 to KES 100,000 per square metre
• Apartment (mid-spec, per square metre net): KES 55,000 to KES 80,000
• Coastal villa: 10 to 25 percent premium over Nairobi equivalents (logistics, salt-air spec)

What it means for your build

• Lock material prices in writing where possible (cement, steel, tiles); price drift over a 12 to 24 month build can be 10 to 20 percent
• Budget for shilling moves on imported finishes
• Phase finish-procurement to avoid carrying costs and breakage of stored material
• Use a credible quantity surveyor to spec, source and track usage

Construction material prices in Kenya move quietly until they do not. The owners who watched commodity news through the build often found themselves protected. The owners who did not, found themselves negotiating from behind.

How Goldstay handles it

For build clients we work with QS partners to lock prices, schedule procurement and track usage. Finishing is where most budgets go wrong, and it is also the stage where a fixed price becomes worth having: our furnishing packages start at KES 700,000 for a studio and the furniture is yours outright from the day it is installed. Read also our pieces on cost of building and hidden costs of building.