KEBS sets new standard for steel manufacture

Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has ordered manufacturers to cease the production and sale of sub-standard steel bars for construction.

The standards body said the trade of weak twisted steel bars will not be allowed from April next year in a move aimed at averting the perennial collapse of buildings in the country.

"It has been noted that Kenya is the only country in the region that still allows manufacture and use of twisted steel bars for reinforcement of concrete," said KEBS in a public notice.

"Arising from a meeting recently held between the KEBS management, representatives of the steel industry and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, it was resolved that as from April 1, only ribbed bars should be manufactured and offered for sale in the country."

Structural engineers note that although expensive, ribbed bars are stronger and reliable than twisted ones.

"Ribbed bars have a higher tensile strength as compared to a similar diameter of the square twisted bars," said Kevin Kimani, a Nairobi-based structural engineer.

Tensile strength is the resistance of a material to breaking under tension. Kenya Association of Manufacturers said its members were ready to comply with the new standards.

"Yes, members are ready to comply. We will meet with KEBS to discuss the modalities for compliance," said KAM Chief Executive Phyllis Wakiaga.

The ribbed bars are said to provide a better bond with the concrete compared to the twisted bars where the concrete may slip, causing cracks. They have ridges, projections or ribs on their surface to provide better anchoring for concrete.

Last year, Uganda banned the use of twisted steel and instead advised players in the steel sector to use ribbed (deformed) steel, leaving Kenya as the only country in the region that allowed the use of twisted steel bars in construction.

A number of buildings in Kenya have collapsed in what has been blamed on poor workmanship and use of inferior building materials, including steel. The latest of this string of disasters occurred in Kisii County where a building collapsed, leaving more than 10 people dead.

Traditionally, twisted bars have been used in the building construction projects. Globally, however, twisted bars have been banned due to their inconsistency in quality. The decision to transition from twisted to ribbed steel is informed by the fact that the country has domesticated a new standard which raises the stake on the type of this metal to be used in building.