For years, contractor Gakuru Muraguri watched newly completed public projects he had helped build lose their sheen within months of completion as roofing sheets faded prematurely, leaving new buildings looking weathered long before their time.

The deterioration challenged his belief that buildings should be built to endure and retain their value for generations.
"We used to say we were building cathedrals," recalls Muraguri. "A cathedral should outlive all of us and remain beautiful for future generations, but after only a few months, the sheets had faded, and the buildings looked old."

Rather than accept premature deterioration as an unavoidable industry problem, Muraguri spent much of 2024 investigating the underlying causes.

His research took him beyond Kenya's construction sites and into the global steel supply chain, where he examined how raw material specifications, protective coatings and manufacturing processes influence product performance.

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juja 3 — Juja Mabati Factory Limited Founder and CEO Gakuru Muraguri poses with a selection of roofing sheets and products at the factory in Juja, Kiambu County, on August 13, 2026. The factory produces roofing sheets in various colours, designs and profiles.

Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation

The investigation eventually led him to China, the world's largest producer and exporter of steel, where he sought to understand why products supplied to different markets appeared to deliver varying levels of performance over time.

The findings reshaped Muraguri's understanding of the industry and informed the establishment of Juja Mabati Factory.

"Steel coils form the foundation of every corrugated sheet, making the composition of the substrate and its protective coatings fundamental to the lifespan of the finished product," he says.

The research challenged his earlier assumption as a contractor that imported steel delivered comparable performance regardless of origin. He concluded that manufacturers produce steel to different technical specifications based on customer requirements and price points.

"China manufactures for every market. If a buyer wants the lowest price, manufacturers can produce to that specification. If the buyer requires a higher specification, that is also available. The difference is determined long before the steel reaches the factory," he says.

The company has since built its procurement strategy around sourcing higher-specification steel coils from suppliers it believes meet more demanding quality standards, despite the additional costs and longer lead times involved.

Shipments from China take close to two months to arrive in Kenya after orders are placed.

"Such lead times require careful demand forecasting and tie up substantial working capital in inventory before products are converted into revenue," he says, adding that maintaining sufficient stock levels while protecting cash flow remains a delicate balance for a young manufacturer.

Muraguri views the additional costs as a necessary investment in building a quality-focused brand, with customers increasingly assessing construction materials based on lifecycle value rather than initial purchase prices. He recalls construction projects where delays in receiving roofing materials extended timelines, increased labour costs and disrupted project delivery schedules.

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Those experiences influenced the company’s emphasis on supply reliability, with the company promising delivery of stocked products within 48 hours in an effort to address one of the construction sector's persistent bottlenecks. Muraguri says the emphasis on delivery speed stems from a distinct commercial strategy.

Rather than simply supplying materials, the goal, he says, is to solve operational inefficiencies across the construction sector.

Finished product

The factory's manufacturing process begins with the importation of coated steel coils from China, the primary raw material used in producing corrugated sheets. Once the coils arrive at the plant, they undergo slitting and roll-forming through specialised profiling machines that shape the steel into different designs before being cut to customer specifications. The finished products are then inspected, packaged and prepared for delivery.

He says the sourcing decision is critical to maintaining consistency throughout the manufacturing process, from raw material preparation to the final product. The company has diversified its product portfolio and now manufactures five lines, including box profile sheets, Decrastone-coated finishes, corrugated profiles, matte-finish designs and Roman tile styles. Depending on the profile, gauge and coating specifications, its products retail from approximately Sh250 per metre to Sh630per metre.

The company also supplies related accessories, including roll tops, washers and nails. The experience gained from working with contractors has shaped Juja Mabati Factory's longer-term growth direction.

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