Nairobi, Aug. 27 -- Three tycoons are locked in a battle for control of East Africa's multi-billion shilling cement industry, embarking on an expansion spree that is stretching their empires across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Industrialist Sarbjit Singh Rai is the latest to seek an expansion of his cement business in Kenya, after he sought to set up a cement plant in Nyeri at an undisclosed price, according to a regulatory disclosure by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema).

Mr Sarbjit, who operates from Uganda, joins Kenya's Narendra Raval and Tanzania's Edha Nahdi in seeking to carve out a slice of the cement market across the East African Community (EAC), highlighting the growing flow of capital across the bord...