Australian Mining Firm Winds Up Operations in Kenya: Auctions Equipment

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The two-day sale, hosted by South African-based WH Auctioneers, will feature over 300 lots of high-value assets that have been used for less than a decade in the Kwale plants.

Australian mining firm Base Titanium will auction its mining equipment — including industrial pumps, transformers, power modules, and control systems — after winding up its 11-year extractive operations in Kwale.

The two-day sale, hosted by South African-based WH Auctioneers, will feature over 300 lots of high-value assets that have been used for less than a decade in the Kwale plants. The auction was initially restricted to international buyers, but the “Export Only” conditions have been dropped, allowing local buyers to bid for the equipment.

Base Titanium exported five million tonnes of titanium during its reign as Kenya’s biggest operation, but will now pivot to prospecting after the depletion of the mineral reserves.

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The mining firm had initially explained that its decision to restrict the auction to international buyers was because the assets had been imported tax-free under investment agreements with the government. This would have rendered local sales uneconomical as the new owners would have to pay duties such as customs, VAT, and excise taxes.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the value of Titanium production in the country slumped to KSh 16.97 billion in 2024 from KSh 24.22 billion in 2023. At its height, Base Titanium employed over 1,000 locals, participated in crucial CSR activities, and furnished the state with plump taxes and royalties.