Taita Taveta leaders have told former Machakos senator Johnstone Muthama to respect residents by paying mining royalties to the community.
Woman representative Lydia Haika, Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako and deputy governor Manjala Mlagui said all mining companies operating in the county should be compelled to remit at least one per cent of their revenue to fund development projects.
They were addressing residents during Madaraka Day celebrations at Dawson Mwanyumba Stadium in Wundanyi on Saturday.
Mwashako said the former Machakos senator had violated the Mining Act, 2016 by objecting to support development projects in the community further blaming the government for failing to operationalize the Act.
“It is sad when we have investors who don’t want to support the community. If Muthama did not like the Mining Act 2016, then he should have opposed it before it was passed into law. Now we want the law to be fully operationalized so that we can benefit from millions that we have been denied,” Mwashako said.
He asked Treasury CS Henry Rotich to formulate guidelines to enable operationalization of the Mining Act 2016.
“We have severally held meetings with CS Rotich on how the community can receive the royalties. We shall continue camping in his office until such guidelines are put in place,” he added.
Last week, Muthama challenged government’s directive that mining companies pay one percent of their revenue as royalties.
Through his firm Rockland Kenya Limited that extracts gemstones in Taita Taveta county, he wants the court to suspend any further implementation of Section 183 of the Mining Act 2016.
DG Mlagui said the Mining Act 2016 should be amended to increase minimal royalty remitted to the community from one per cent to at least five per cent.
“The law stipulates that the minimum should be one per cent but we want it increased so that the community can enjoy better projects. We also want all mining companies to engage community development committees so that they can identify the projects to be undertaken,” she said.
Majala said many companies are reaping billions from gemstones while the community is languishing in poverty.
Haika said the community had not fully benefited from tones of mineral deposits in the county.
She said exploitation, unscrupulous dealers and companies are derailing efforts to have the community benefit from gemstones.
Haika further urged government to empower artisan miners saying the community ought to reap from the industry.
Taita Taveta is endowed with various gemstones including tsavorite, rubi, tourmaline, red garnets, green garnets, tanzanite and iron ore. Others are manganese and limestone.
However, land disputes and lack of clear guidelines on the extractive industry have been listed among reasons why the community is yet to benefit.
