Ministry mulls total ban on copper, aluminium exports
By Victor Mukabi, March 14, 2025Exporters of copper and aluminum face tough times ahead as the government hints at plans to ban the export of the materials.
Energy Principal Secretary, Alex Wachira, said the ministry is considering a ban on the activity to help counter the cases of vandalism targeting energy infrastructure.
“We are asking the Minister of Trade and Industry to help us. We want to put a ban on exports of copper and aluminium because we are not a copper or aluminium mining country so we can reduce these incidents,” he said.
Wachira was speaking during a “Kaa Safe Mtaani,” stakeholder engagement organised by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra).
The factor, according to him, is one of the leading contributors of energy-related accidents, especially when the materials are vandalised from transmission lines and encroachment to the power lines by developers.
Wachira stated that the ministry will also be working closely with the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (ODPP) to enforce the law limiting the instances of vandalism and the illegal supply of energy products such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
The same had idea had also been mentioned by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investments CS Lee Kinyanjui during his grilling by National Assembly early this year.
He noted that the country misses a lot of opportunities from the exports of scrap metals, advising that the country should consider starting the manufacture of steel from the materials.
“Any country that exports scrap metal, should really reconsider its policies. How can you export scrap metals instead of just melting them and making iron bars for construction? The idea of exporting scrap metal is a suicide note for a country that seeks to industrialize itself,” he said. This, according to him, would significantly boost the economy due to its impact on different sectors of the economy.
The country exports these materials including scrap metals but at the same time imports steel, iron and even aluminium from trading partners such as China.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) data for the third quarter of 2024, the country imported structures and parts of structures, iron, steel or aluminium amounting to Sh1.73 billion.
International trade
However, concerns on whether the country is ready to take the new path are quite high as the exports of copper alone in 2023, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database in international trade, amounted to $64.16 million (Sh8.2 billion) an amount that is significant to help facilitate other government activities.
Also, the identification of ready market for the potential product also proves to be a significant factor as this influences its viability.
The move to discourage the exports of the said commodities although perceived as prevention measures against vandalism has actually been there all along.
In January, scrap metal dealers were crying foul of double taxation by the government, which according to them was making them uncompetitive in the international markets. Gladys Nyambura, the secretary General of Scrap dealers Association, also noted that factor was limiting the growth of the industry.
“They have decided to again slap us with another 1.5 per cent of the tax from one side and another 1.5 per cent to the other side. What does that mean? If I take material to the company today, the company will deduct at least 1.5 per cent from me and remit it to the government,” she said.
The need for the ban has also been emphasised by Kenya which in this regard has been the biggest victim of the effects of the vandalism cases.
In 2023, 365 transformers worth Sh328 billion were lost, according to the utilities’ CEO Joseph Siror, while in 2024, 78 transformer vandalism cases were reported, leading to the government incurring high costs of installing new ones.
This resulted in the company and the Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) early last year collaborating in efforts to help deter the cases. Policies to tame the tendencies were since formulated which have somewhat managed to reduce the cases.