Steel: Why prices of building materials never come down

Milcah Aluoch, a welder, at her workshop in Kibuye market in Kisumu County, September 25, 2018. [File, Standard)

Kenya's competition watchdog has broken up one of the most complex criminal price-fixing rings in Kenya's history and which threatens to derail the Ruto government's affordable housing agenda.

The multi-billion shillings syndicate involves nine leading manufacturers of steel products in the country and schemed for years on end to keep prices of construction materials artificially high so as to benefit the wealthy manufacturers and reap maximum profits from hapless consumers.