Picture this: a sack full of sugarcane bagasse, the fibrous waste left behind after juice extraction. On its own, it is just agricultural trash. But when you introduce oyster mushroom mycelium—the root‑like network of fungi—something remarkable happens. The mycelium bonds the loose fibres into a dense, stable panel. That panel can insulate a wall, line a ceiling, or decorate a room. And it costs about two‑thirds of the price of conventional materials.
That is MycoTile. A Kenyan company turning agricultural waste into building materials, one mushroom at a time.
The Problem MycoTile Is Trying to Solve
Kenya’s housing deficit is well documented: at least 2 million units short in Nairobi alone, and 250,000 new homes needed every year against a supply of barely 50,000. Hundreds of thousands of families live in informal settlements where walls are thin, roofs leak, and insulation is non‑existent.
At the same time, Kenya generates mountains of agricultural waste. Sugar‑cane processing factories produce bagasse by the ton. Coffee husks pile up at mills. Maize cobs rot in fields. Rice husks are burned, adding to air pollution.
MycoTile sits at the intersection of these two problems. It takes what would otherwise be waste and turns it into something useful. Something that can help house people.
How It Works
The process is surprisingly low‑tech. Agricultural waste—sugar bagasse, coffee husks, maize cobs, coconut coir, rice husks—is pasteurised to kill competing organisms. Then it is inoculated with oyster mushroom mycelium. The mycelium grows through the waste, binding the fibres together into a solid composite. The material is then dried to stop further growth, resulting in rigid, lightweight panels.
The panels are not just strong. They have superior acoustic performance and fire‑retardant properties, naturally enhanced by the chitin in the mycelium. They also regulate temperature. Jedidah Murugi, a street vendor who used MycoTile panels for her 15‑square‑metre home, says her house “is not cold at night and neither is it hot during the day”.
And at the end of the building’s life? The panels are biodegradable and harmless to the environment. You can compost them.
What It Costs
The numbers speak for themselves. Building a simple one‑bedroom unit in Nairobi using conventional brick, timber, and tin sheets typically costs up to 150,000 shillings (about $1,000). For a small home of around 15 square metres (161 square feet), Jedidah Murugi spent just 26,880 shillings (about $208) on MycoTile panels.
MycoTile’s founder, Mtamu Kililo, says his insulation products cost roughly two‑thirds of the price of standard materials. That is not a marginal saving. It can shave off a third of the total cost of building a small house.
Already Installed, Already Working
MycoTile is not a lab experiment. It has already been installed in student accommodation and other projects, and the results are documented. The panels reduced sound travelling between rooms and helped regulate indoor temperatures.
The company currently produces nearly 3,600 square yards of material every month. It works with 28 contracted farmers who supply agricultural waste, plus six non‑contracted suppliers. Every year, it diverts about 250 tons of agricultural waste from landfills or burning, turning it into something useful.
The Government Partnership: KIRDI
MycoTile is not operating in isolation. The company has a formal partnership with the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), which provides consultancy services, mycology expertise, and access to facilities and machinery. The government allows MycoTile to use KIRDI’s space in Nairobi.
This matters because it signals that the government sees value in alternative building materials. KIRDI is not just a landlord. It is an active partner in developing and scaling the technology.
The Market Opportunity
The market for walling materials in Nairobi’s informal settlements alone is estimated at $150 million (around Sh20 billion). That does not include roof insulation or commercial applications.
MycoTile’s strategy is to start with retrofitting informal settlements, where thin walls and poor insulation are chronic problems. Every 10 square metres of walling per person in Nairobi’s 2.5 million informal settlement residents represents a huge potential market.
Beyond insulation, the company intends to develop a broader product portfolio: ceiling tiles, construction blocks, MDF‑style panels, and even furniture.
The Challenges
No innovation comes without hurdles. Mtamu Kililo is honest about the difficulties.
“The construction industry is conservative and is slow to accept new materials. It’s also hard to convince the general public, who are used to concrete and brick, that we are building reliably with mushrooms”.
This is the real barrier. Not technology. Not cost. Trust. Builders, architects, and homeowners need to see that a panel made from mushroom roots can hold up as well as a concrete block. That takes time. It takes demonstration projects. It takes proof.
Another challenge is scale. MycoTile’s current production is modest. For the material to make a meaningful dent in Kenya’s housing deficit, production needs to grow exponentially. That requires investment, equipment, and a reliable supply chain for both waste and mycelium.
Why This Matters for Kenyan Builders
For contractors and builders, MycoTile represents a new option in the materials toolkit. Not a replacement for concrete and steel, but a complementary material for specific applications.
Insulation is the immediate use case. MycoTile panels can be used for roof and wall insulation, interior decoration, and soundproofing. In a country where many homes are uninsulated tin sheds, the comfort improvement alone is significant.
Cost savings are real. At two‑thirds the price of conventional materials, MycoTile can make affordable housing more affordable. For developers working on tight margins, every shilling saved on materials matters.
Sustainability is increasingly required. The Kenya National Buildings and Construction Decarbonization Roadmap (2026‑2040) explicitly encourages the use of low‑carbon, locally sourced materials, including agricultural waste composites. Builders who adopt these materials early will be ahead of regulatory curves.
Local production means local availability. MycoTile is made in Kenya, from Kenyan waste, by Kenyan workers. That means shorter supply chains, lower transport costs, and more predictable availability compared to imported materials.
The Decarbonization Context
The timing of MycoTile’s growth is not accidental. Kenya is in the early stages of implementing its National Buildings and Construction Decarbonization Roadmap, which aims to reduce emissions from the building sector by nearly 60 percent by 2040.
The roadmap specifically highlights agricultural waste composites as a priority low‑carbon material. MycoTile fits directly into that vision. It is a homegrown solution that turns local waste into a high‑performance building product.
Mugure Njendu, Africa Programs Lead at GBPN, captured the broader ambition: “At its best, a home is health: clean air, thermal comfort, safety from the elements. It is economic opportunity: a stable base from which families build livelihoods”.
That is what MycoTile offers. Not just a cheaper panel, but a better home.
What Builders Should Know
If you are a contractor evaluating MycoTile for your next project, here is what you need to know.
It is proven, but not yet widespread. The material works. It has been tested in real buildings. But it has not been used at the scale of a 500‑unit housing estate. Approach with curiosity, not blind faith.
It is best for insulation and interior applications. MycoTile is not a load‑bearing structural material. It is for walls, ceilings, insulation, and finishes. Use it where it excels.
It pairs well with other materials. A house can have a concrete foundation and frame, with MycoTile panels for walls and insulation. Hybrid construction is the most practical path.
It will need regulatory acceptance. Building codes and approval processes are still catching up to alternative materials. If you use MycoTile, document everything. Work with the company to ensure compliance.
The company is open to partnerships. MycoTile is actively seeking partners in product testing, standardisation, and financial investment. A contractor willing to pilot the material at scale could shape its development.
The Founder’s Vision
Mtamu Kililo did not start MycoTile in a boardroom. He started it during a research fellowship in Rwanda, working on architectural solutions to Africa’s housing challenges. He saw the potential of mycelium as a building material and decided to bring it home to Kenya.
His vision is simple: affordable materials for affordable housing. Not as a compromise, but as a superior design choice.
“Introducing affordable materials like ours taps into an existing huge market and contributes to providing affordable housing solutions,” Kililo says.
The 2026 Reality
MycoTile is small. Twelve employees. One facility at KIRDI. A few dozen contracted farmers. Monthly production measured in square yards, not hectares.
But it is growing. And it is part of a larger shift in Kenyan construction. The old way—imported materials, high carbon, high cost—is not sustainable. The new way is local, low‑carbon, and circular. Agricultural waste is not trash. It is a resource. And MycoTile is showing what that resource can become.
For builders willing to look past the unfamiliar, to trust a panel made from mushrooms, the opportunity is real. Not just to save money, but to build differently. To build for Kenya’s future, not its past.
