By Eddah Waithaka
The State Department for Mining convened a meeting yesterday in Nairobi County in attendance to evaluate and discuss key issues as they close out the year 2023-2024. The team from the regional mines office focused on addressing ongoing challenges and strategizing for the future of the mining industry in the region.
Speaking during the press briefing, Principal Secretary of the ministry of mining, blue economy and maritime Elijah Mwangi emphasized the importance of addressing challenges and strategizing for the future of the mining industry in the region.
“We have had a great time and we have had discussions from the Zeroport Audit which is a requirement by the current administration that no agency or ministry or a department that is supposed to attract the audit query.”
“So we are doing capacity building on management of finances to the regional mines office so that we can work together on that field. But also we have discussed the issues to do in mining specifically how we can monetize, we can get value for our mineral resources and what we are doing is that we continue with carrying out mapping of our mineral resources, ” he continued.
In order to achieve this goal, the current administration has implemented measures to ensure transparency and accountability within all agencies and ministries involved in the crowd sorting process.
This includes promoting collaboration and innovation to overcome obstacles and drive sustainable growth in the industry. By considering 24 counties for crowd sorting by the end of this month, we are confirming both the quantity and quality of our mineral resources, ultimately paving the way for future success and development in this crucial sector.
“We have a great team of geologists led by our director of geology and they are ready to go and confirm both strategic and other minerals as they are identified during the National Airborne Geophysics Survey,” said the Ps.
In addition to confirming the quantity and quality of our mineral resources, the Ps noted that the ministry is prioritizing the issue to ensure that the government is well-informed about their resources.
Licensing discussions had also been held to address how large scale, small scale, medium scale, and artisanal mining operations can operate in accordance with regulations.
Also Read:https://switchmedianews.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/cs-alfred-mutua-announces-plan-to-make-kenya-the-leading-medical-tourism-hub/
This proactive approach will pave the way for future success and development in the crucial mineral resource sector.
“So far we have received 1,756 applications which are in different phases of information so that those who qualify for mining license, so far we have six that are in the process of granting,” Ps Elijah added.
However, for those who qualify for prospecting license, the ministry has quite a number. And the agreement is that the artisans who have been formalized into cooperatives and with the 27th Artisanal Mining Committee that has been gazetted across the country, the team that is in attendance from the regions will first track the process of granting artisanal mining permits to artisans and therefore going forward the ministry hopes that they will not be dealing with illegal mining as a result of lack of the necessary documents from the Ministry.
“We shall continue first tracking the process of granting. So far we have looked at over 600 applications and it is our hope that the 1,756 shall be cleared. We have considered the capacity building of the Artisanal Mining Committee so that as they grant the licenses they know to what extent their money is.”
Therefore in that perspective, the ministry has challenged it’s Regional Mining Office to first track the delineation of the areas that are reserved for the artisanal licensing.
“So far we have some few large scale mining investors who do hold areas where we need to be ready for artisanal permits and therefore it is a discussion that we have had with the team here. We have also looked at illegal mining.”
In light of the recent arrests made during our operation in April, the Ps said that it is evident that there is a pressing issue of illegal mining activities taking place in our country threat to the environment also undermine the legal framework set in place for mining activities.
“The majority of them have been deported and the sweep continues. This week we are in Samburu. We have planned each and every county so that those who do not meet the directive of the Ministry of operating within the parameters that are set in the Mining Act, we do not have any recourse to arrest them,” he noted.
Further, the PS also noted that they had discussions about the mineral testing laboratory. This he noted that the ministry of mining has procured equipment worth over 600 million so that they can revamp main mining house to an international standard.
“The eight regions that used to be the provincial headquarters already we have teams who are setting the labs. We have procured testing equipment which will be distributed across those labs depending on the mineral potential and the kind of minerals that are found within the regions,” he added.
Moreover, as the Ministry continues to address the matter of resource utilization, the Ps noted that they have engaged in conversations regarding the establishment of mineral processing plants.
Correspondence has been initiated with county governors to provide suitable locations for these plants to the national government. Notably, the progress in Kakamega has been commendable, as an investor has been given the green light to establish a gold refinery, marking a significant step forward. The collaboration and support from the government have been met with great satisfaction, signaling a promising future ahead.
“So we are engaging the county government so that we can get that from the mineral mapping that we are having, from the cloud soothing, that data is what we are going to give to the investors for them to establish mineral labs across the country.”
“Going forward our policy is to have factories in each and every county. We have also looked at the issue of enforcements. We have already consulted all our inspectors of mine and they are allowed in law to come to each and every mining ventures and carry out operations, ask for documents, records, including crochet,” he added.
