Across Kenya, the face of new houses is fast changing. Instead of neatly painted walls, home owners are embracing stones: rough or smooth, grey, brown or purple-tinged, each piece slightly different from the one beside it. The same material edges pool decks, lines driveways and bathroom feature walls, giving homes that rugged, beautiful finish.
Tabitha Wanyoike, founder of Gail Stone Works, has been cashing on this trend since she took over her parents stone cutting, shaping and installing business in 2016. In the last decade, she says, she has watched the market move from a niche curiosity to a mainstream choice for homeowners, developers and even recreational spaces.
A stone for every style
“Natural stone in Kenya comes in more varieties than most people realise,” she says. “There is mazeras, the workhorse of the industry, mined along the Kenyan coast and sold in colours that range from grey and brown to black, and the rare sky blue that is mostly found on the shores of rivers.”
Beyond mazeras, there is white, porous coral stone, which Tabitha recommends for interior walls. There is also sandstone, yellow stone from Naivasha, river stones that resemble oversized pebbles, and tanga stone imported from Tanzania, which mimics the look of wood. Soapstone, the most expensive of the lot, is a premium option she largely reserves for bespoke interior features rather than full walls. Then there is blue stone, which Tabitha says despite its name, is not blue at all but a soft purple-grey that suits almost any colour scheme.
“It is simply the most underrated material,” she says.
Like Tabitha, Anthony Maina, a civil engineer by profession and the sole proprietor of BV Mazeras, has also moved to tap the high demand for cladding stones, often venturing as far as Uganda and Tanzania to source unique pieces.
His main customers are new homeowners and renovators who want to give their houses a new look. ‘People do prefer using natural stones due to the aesthetic look and because they are long-lasting,’ he says of the drive behind the trend.
What the stone will cost
Each stone, according to Tabitha, has its own personality. Mazeras is the most versatile, the jack of all trades that works on walls, floors, parking areas and pool decks. It is also the cheapest, starting at around Sh1,200 per square metre.
Tanga stone, imported from Tanzania, goes for about Sh4,500 per square metre and gives a warm, woody finish. Blue stone costs Sh2,000 for smooth cladding and up to Sh3,000 for a bush-hammered finish, while sky blue mazeras, which is scarce because it is mined along riverbeds that flood in the rains, starts at Sh1,500.
At Anthony’s yard, coral stone goes for at least Sh2,000, and ruby stone from Baringo for Sh2,500.
The stone price, however, is only half the budget. Tabitha notes that installation labour is an additional cost that varies with the stone type and the size of the pieces. Standard installation generally ranges from Sh500 to Sh800 per square metre. Smaller stones such as one-inch mazeras demand more cutting and alignment, which pushes labour to as much as Sh1,200.
A fully inclusive job covering materials, labour, adhesives and finishing, such as mazeras cladding, can come to around Sh2,300 per square metre. For a three-bedroom house, installation typically takes between one and three weeks, depending on the size of the pieces.
Paying more for permanence
Tabitha is candid that stone is not the cheap option.
“For anyone building a house, or looking to transform or beautify their space, the question is not just what looks good but what makes sense,” she says. “Natural stone costs more than paint. For a parking area, cabros cost roughly the same, so the decision comes down to aesthetics and longevity. Natural stone gives you both.”
She argues, though, that the upfront cost can be misleading. “For the skirting area, it is actually the cheaper option, because you do not have to repaint every few years. Once you install it, you are set for decades.”
Anthony observes that though the cost was for the longest time off-putting, homeowners are starting to see value for money.
‘Cost was an early worry for buyers, but more people are seeing value for money. And thought logistics costs and quarry prices have crept up slightly, demand continues to grow.’
The winning consideration in favour of cladding stones, he says, is durability since a properly installed wall can last more than 20 years without touch-ups, renovation or repainting. It protects against the dampness that creeps up skirting areas and ruins plaster, and it resists the sun without fading, contrary to popular belief.
“Paint will fade and peel over time, but stone will not,” says Tabitha.
The material is not without complications, however. Supply is finite, and some varieties are already under pressure.
Blue stone and sandstone from Njiru in Machakos County are in high demand and increasingly difficult to source in large quantities. “These are natural stones, and you cannot make them in a factory,” she warns, “so in the near future we might not have as much sandstone and blue stone.”
The installer matters
Installation presents a further challenge, and Tabitha is emphatic that stone is not a job for just any fundi.
“Tile layers often assume their skills transfer, but they do not, because this is a totally different kind of art. The wrong adhesive on a smooth stone can cause it to fall off the wall. Coral stone can be fixed with a cement-and-sand mixture, but smoother stones need specialised adhesives. The wrong choice can cost a homeowner far more in repairs.”
How to spot genuine stone
Most mazeras is mined in Mombasa, while coral stone comes from Malindi and Kilifi. Blue stone and sandstone are sourced from Njiru, along Kangundo Road, and yellow stone from Naivasha.
Several suppliers in Nairobi deliver across the country, but Tabitha advises buyers to visit the yard, see the stone in person and ask questions before committing.
She also offers a simple test for authenticity: real stone has no uniform pattern, and every piece differs, whereas imitations repeat colours and textures. Tapping the stone with a light object helps too, since genuine stone rings while engineered imitations sound dull and muted.
Preservation
For outdoor use, Tabitha recommends a stone polish or varnish that works like sunscreen, sealing the surface against ultraviolet rays, rain and dampness, and also preventing the algae that commonly grow in coastal and damp areas where stone stays wet for long periods. Indoors, most stones need nothing at all, and reapplication every ten years is sufficient at minimal cost.
When spills occur, the earlier you act, the better. Mild dishwashing liquid mixed with warm water is usually enough for everyday cleaning, but acidic cleaners such as vinegar or lemon juice should be avoided because they can dull the surface over time.
Oil-based stains can be drawn out by leaving a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water on them overnight. Sealing does not make stone stain-proof, but it makes it more resistant and buys time to clean up before a spill sets.
Not just for big houses
“Some people believe natural stone is only for big houses or luxury developments. It is not. It works in two-bedroom apartments, bathrooms, pathways and even swimming pools. Others believe it is too heavy or too complicated for small spaces, and that is not true either. The size of the stone determines the installation time, not the size of the house. Smaller pieces, like one-inch mazeras, take longer because there are more than a hundred in a single square metre, whereas larger pieces go up faster. It comes down to what the client wants.”
Weight is nonetheless worth bearing in mind, since stone wall cladding can weigh between 20 and 50 kilogrammes per square metre, depending on thickness and density. For most standard residential walls this poses no difficulty, but for upper floors, thin feature walls or lightweight structures it is wise to consult a structural engineer before installation.
Stone versus porcelain
Porcelain tiles, which start at around Sh2,500 per square metre and need no sealing, sit at a different price point and demand a different kind of care. Porcelain is uniform, low-maintenance and resistant to stains, whereas natural stone is porous, needs sealing and never repeats itself.
Perhaps the most persistent myth is that stone is purely decorative. Tabitha says it adds resale value because it signals quality and permanence, and it can be eco-friendly in the right context. In hot places such as Mombasa, coral stone keeps rooms cooler and reduces the need for air conditioning. In a market flooded with imitations, the appeal of the genuine article is only growing, since no two stones are alike and that quality cannot be copied.
Still, she has a word of caution for anyone rushing into a purchase. “Take your time, because the stone is very expensive. I would not want somebody to put it up simply because it is trendy and then find they do not like the material.”
Looking ahead, Anthony hopes Kenyan natural stone will gain recognition worldwide. ‘I’d really love Kenyan natural stones to be known everywhere in the world,’ he says.