Due to the increasing demand for cement in the East African region, many investors are setting up more factories to meet the market demand. Two cement factories have in the last two years entered the market and these include Simba and K ampala Cement among others. Simba Cement is expected to produce around 3,000 tons of cement daily starting May this year. Minister Peter Lukeris while touring the factory to assess the progress, said the country was set to increase its cement exports and reduce on the import bill. “Soon or later Uganda will have enough cement for the building industry and of course we shall take advantage to export it to Sudan, South Sudan, to the DRC that is the Eastern part of Congo, to Rwanda, to Burundi and some of it might go back even to Kenya because the near part of Kenya is near Tororo they are at the border.”

Lokaris believes that Uganda has enough raw materials to meet the current cement producers’ capacity. “Those are mountains, not just rocks, you cannot think Moroto Mountain will get finished within one week, you must strike it for 200 years or more.” The Country Director for National Cement Uganda Augushin Patel disclosed that a number of Ugandans have already been employed in various departments. "Once this factory has been started then around 500 people and another indirect people will also be employed here. So almost to say 260 – 200 people direct and indirect will get employment in this reimbursement."

The local demand has largely been driven by the large infrastructure projects which have reduced the export appetite. Cement production is expected to increase from the current 3.6 million tons to 6.8 million tons per annum amidst the demand that stands at 2.4 million tons per annum.