Kapchorwa makes big money from stone quarrying
Cutting stone blocks is turning into lucrative business in Kapchorwa town council. At nearly all rocky sites, burly men labour inside gorges with metallic tools to cut out blocks from the porous rocks. The blocks are used for construction of buildings.
By Daniel Edyegu
and Rashid Muzungyo
Cutting stone blocks is turning into lucrative business in Kapchorwa town council. At nearly all rocky sites, burly men labour inside gorges with metallic tools to cut out blocks from the porous rocks. The blocks are used for construction of buildings.
Anthony Odhiambo, 35, a stone cutter residing in Kisenyi cell, explained that besides the basic skills, the work requires much strength. “You have to eat a lot to get the strength to do the work. This work is not for women. It’s tedious. By the end of the day, the whole body is aching.
“What keeps us going are the earnings we get to fend for our families,†Odhiambo said. Odhiambo said on average, a stone cutter can make 70 blocks a day.
The blocks are categorised into foundation and smooth. The foundation blocks are rough and fairly bigger in size than the smooth block and are used for wall construction. Foundation blocks cost sh500 while the smooth blocks are sh600.
“This trade is profitable. More than 80% of buildings here use blocks. But we still use rudimentary tools and supply is far less than the demand.
“The best period for this work is the dry season due to minimal interruptions from the rains. Rains often fill up the gorges and make work difficult,†Odhiambo said.
Christopher Rotich, a resident of Kapchorwa who used stone blocks to construct his two houses, said they are cheap compared to bricks that are transported from Buwalasi sub-county in Sironko district.
Franklin Cheptoyek, a civil engineer with Kapchorwa local government, said stone blocks were more beautiful, cheap, durable and easy to transport, compared to other building materials.
“The stone blocks minimise the use of cement as the number of joints are few. Bricks require several joints. Stones are also resistant to abrasion,†Cheptoyek said.
However, he said, unlike the bricks, the stone blocks have low resistance to fire.
“When a building catches fire, the stone materials often explode, making it difficult to extinguish the fire,†he said. In earthquake-prone areas, he added, the stone buildings require ground beams which require expensive materials,†Cheptoyek said.
and Rashid Muzungyo
Cutting stone blocks is turning into lucrative business in Kapchorwa town council. At nearly all rocky sites, burly men labour inside gorges with metallic tools to cut out blocks from the porous rocks. The blocks are used for construction of buildings.
Anthony Odhiambo, 35, a stone cutter residing in Kisenyi cell, explained that besides the basic skills, the work requires much strength. “You have to eat a lot to get the strength to do the work. This work is not for women. It’s tedious. By the end of the day, the whole body is aching.
“What keeps us going are the earnings we get to fend for our families,†Odhiambo said. Odhiambo said on average, a stone cutter can make 70 blocks a day.
The blocks are categorised into foundation and smooth. The foundation blocks are rough and fairly bigger in size than the smooth block and are used for wall construction. Foundation blocks cost sh500 while the smooth blocks are sh600.
“This trade is profitable. More than 80% of buildings here use blocks. But we still use rudimentary tools and supply is far less than the demand.
“The best period for this work is the dry season due to minimal interruptions from the rains. Rains often fill up the gorges and make work difficult,†Odhiambo said.
Christopher Rotich, a resident of Kapchorwa who used stone blocks to construct his two houses, said they are cheap compared to bricks that are transported from Buwalasi sub-county in Sironko district.
Franklin Cheptoyek, a civil engineer with Kapchorwa local government, said stone blocks were more beautiful, cheap, durable and easy to transport, compared to other building materials.
“The stone blocks minimise the use of cement as the number of joints are few. Bricks require several joints. Stones are also resistant to abrasion,†Cheptoyek said.
However, he said, unlike the bricks, the stone blocks have low resistance to fire.
“When a building catches fire, the stone materials often explode, making it difficult to extinguish the fire,†he said. In earthquake-prone areas, he added, the stone buildings require ground beams which require expensive materials,†Cheptoyek said.