County governments collected below one percent of the Sh16 billion they could have raised from natural resource exploitation fees. FILE PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NMG
A freeze on the exploration of minerals in Kenya has been in place for the past three years, slamming the brakes on investors in the sector keen on exploiting natural resources.
The previous administration of Uhuru Kenyatta stopped prospecting licences in November 2019 to allow the mapping of Kenya's mineral resources.
But little has been heard about the progress since then.
Meanwhile, as Kenya's mining sector stagnated, the rest of the world moved on.
Potential investors shifted focus elsewhere as the uncertainty persists.
The sector players, who appeared to have been at a loss about the way forward, will therefore feel encouraged to learn that the digitisation of mineral data is in its final stages, paving the way for the exploitation of the resources.
The Mining ministry should clean up the sector and resolve any pending issues since 2015 when the government stopped issuing or renewing mining licences after revoking permits of 65 companies.
Further delay in reopening the mining industry to investors would be detrimental to Kenya's economic growth.
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