High cost of inputs hurting crucial steel sector OPINION The direct and indirect consumption of steel is projected to increase. [Courtesy] Demand for steel is increasing as government-driven infrastructural development, commercial and residential buildings surge. Steel is a core piece of the modern economy. It is used as a paradigm to gauge the overall economic status of a country, as well as an indicator of the investments dedicated to infrastructure and subsequently, a measure of progress and stability. Kenya’s steel sector is strongly linked to growth of complementary sectors such as housing and construction, energy and electronics and chemical and allied. Presently, Kenya’s metal sector (iron and steel) forms approximately 13 per cent of the manufacturing sector, with an overwhelming majority of the sector’s products used in construction industry.