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Kenya to commence mineral survey by end of year

Xinhua, April 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenya plans to commence its nationwide airborne mineral survey by the end of 2016, a senior government official said on Thursday.

Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Mining Dan Kazungu said the government will allocate 30 million U.S. dollars for the first phase of the survey.

"We will begin in the coast, western and eastern zones which have historically been the mining zones," Kazungu said.

Phase two of the airborne survey will include the other mineral blocks in rift valley and northern regions.

Kazungu said negotiations are still going on to identify the contractors who will conduct the survey. The survey is aimed at mapping out the extent of country's mineral wealth.

"We currently don't know the exact size and location of the country's mineral wealth and as a result investors have been forced to conduct exploration without adequate data," he said.

The National Assembly has also passed a new mining law that is aimed at replacing the existing law which came into effect in 1940.

The official said the new law is now awaiting presidential assent and contains provisions that will encourage investments into the mining sector.

The Bill proposes that the national government keeps 70 percent of mining royalties while county governments and local communities keep 20 and ten percent respectively.

Kazungu said the proposed law will further enshrine the principles of accountability and transparency not only by the government but also by mining investors.

"This is critical in ensuring that Kenya earns its fair share from mining operations and investors are assured on returns for their investments," he said. Endit