Mbeya Cement and its Tembo brand
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Mbeya Cement Company Limited makes Tembo cement at its plant in the Songwe Industrial Area, Mbeya Region. The state set it up in 1973 and production began in 1983, says the company's history page. Since November 2023 its majority owner has been the Tanzanian group Amsons.
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Who makes Mbeya Cement
The company history on the maker’s own site runs through several owners. The Government of Tanzania established Mbeya Cement Company Limited in 1973, and the plant started producing in 1983, supplying the Southern Highlands and neighbouring countries. After privatisation in 1999 it was bought by the Commonwealth Development Corporation, passed to Lafarge in 2001 and became part of LafargeHolcim after the 2015 merger.
In that period, the page says, 104 billion TZS went into a kiln upgrade, a new electrical system and the first vertical cement mill in Tanzania. In November 2023 Holcim sold its 65% stake to Amsons Group, a Tanzanian conglomerate whose brand list also includes Camel Cement and the Kenyan maker Bamburi.
Tembo cement grades
The company sells its bagged cement under the Tembo name. The Amsons Group page for Mbeya Cement lists three grades, each with the use the group gives it:
| Product | Strength class | Use and traits, as listed |
|---|---|---|
| Tembo Supaset | 42.5N | bridges and high-rise buildings; fast-setting, high strength |
| Tembo Fastaplus | 32.5R | general construction; quick strength development |
| Tembo Powerplus | 42.5N | industrial projects; weather-resistant |
The cement type (CEM I, II or IV) is not given on that page, so check it on the bag or ask the seller before matching a grade to a drawing. What the classes mean is set out under cement types and strength classes.
Besides bagged cement, the company’s home page names two special products: pozzolana for concrete and Minecem for the mining sector. The group page lists ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certificates.
Plant and recent news
Head office and the integrated plant sit in the Songwe Industrial Area of Mbeya Region, with a sales office in Masaki, Dar es Salaam. The Amsons brand list says the plant serves the local market and exports to Zambia and Malawi.
A news item on the Mbeya Cement site dated 19 January 2026 reports an EPC contract signed with Sinoma International for new clinker lines in Mbeya and Tanga. The page does not give capacities or a completion date. Two Amsons pages give different figures for the existing plant’s annual output, so none is quoted here.
Does Kitovu stock Mbeya Cement?
No. Kitovu does not stock Mbeya Cement or other Tembo products, and no Tembo bag price is listed on this page. The group’s sister brand made in Dar es Salaam is covered under Camel Cement, and the plant in the far south under Dangote Cement in Tanzania.
For slabs and screeds, Kitovu holds Polypropylene Fibre for Concrete and Mortar in Zanzibar. The owner’s details give it as monofilament microfibre, 12 mm long, added to control plastic shrinkage cracks.