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Kenya has inked a multibillion-shilling deal with private investors to put up a gold refinery in Kakamega for Sh5.8 billion and a granite processing plant for Sh2.5 billion in Vihiga County in preparation for the policy shift.
Kenya plans to restrict the export of some minerals in raw form after the ongoing construction of processing plants is completed, a move that portends a major policy shift to maximize earnings for the government and communities.
The Ministry of Mining says gold, gemstones, and granite will be the first batch of minerals to be exported after value addition. Kenya has inked a multibillion-shilling deal with private investors to put up a gold refinery in Kakamega for Sh5.8 billion and a granite processing plant for Sh2.5 billion in Vihiga County in preparation for the policy shift.
This is in addition to the revival of fluorspar mining in Elgeyo Marakwet at an estimated Sh4.8 billion investment and the already operational Gemstone Value Addition Centre in Taita Taveta. The building of gold and granite plants is projected to be completed mid-next year, Principal Secretary for Mining Elijah Mwangi said.
Gold mining has over the years largely featured artisanal and small-scale operations in a mainly informal process even though several midsize firms have entered the industry. Kenya’s earnings from gold mining dipped to Sh3.17 billion in 2023, from Sh3.38 billion the previous year, according to the Economic Survey 2024. The data shows that 410 kilograms of gold were realized last year, down from 563.6 kilos in 2022.
The country is also believed to be sitting on significant granite deposits in Vihiga and its environs. Granite is used in the making of kitchen countertops, tiles, terrazzo, monuments, and mantelpieces, among others.
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The country is believed to have significant deposits of copper, coltan, niobium, manganese, and rare earth minerals, which remain under-exploited, dwarfing the mining sector’s contribution to the national economic output.
