The State yesterday directed all regional and county mining officers to immediately begin implementing the new reforms it undertook to sanitise the mining sector in the country.

The new reforms came following the lifting of a moratorium placed on mining and prospecting.
Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya yesterday in a meeting with all regional and county mining officials announced that the reforms are to be implemented immediately to help the county grow its revenue in the sector.

“I have met mining officials across the country to brief them on the new reforms to be undertaken especially after the State lifted the moratorium it had placed on mining,” said Mvurya.

Mvurya said he is eying to raise revenue in the mining sector from the current Sh3.7 billion to Sh15 billion in the next one and half year. The Government lifted a moratorium on mineral mining after putting in place reforms to streamline the mining sector. The lifted moratorium is to all construction and industrial minerals.

The reforms that the ministry has undertaken include nationwide geo-survey, identification of 970 minerals countrywide and opening of an online mining portal where miners register to ensure transparency and accountability. He also announced that the Government has done value addition to the minerals.

The State also undertook a comprehensive audit of all mineral right holders to ensure that they adhere with compliance.

As a key priority area in the bottom up agenda, the CS also directed county and regional mineral officials to ensure that artisanal miners are organised into cooperatives next month. He said this organisation is meant to facilitate easy training to all artisanal miners using crude equipment and organize them into cooperatives and societies. “Artisanal miners are a key priority in the bottom up agenda.

We are organizing them into cooperative societies and as a result we have organized them to be trained so that there is value to their mining,” said Mvurya.