Artisanal miners in Taita Taveta are set to benefit from a new licence that will enable them to sell gemstones to local and international buyers.
The licence given to Taita Taveta Artisanal Miners Association on Tuesday will help them do their business openly and keep off exploitative middlemen.
The licence shall be renewed annually.
Governor Granton Samboja’s wife Stella said the licence will be operated under the Tsavorite Market and Action Centre Ltd.
She spoke during artisanal miners thanksgiving day in Voi.
“This is a partnership to help small-scale miners reap from the multi-billion shilling industry. We want to edge out cartels and middlemen from the business,” Stella said.
She urged miners to form groups so they can support each other.
Stella said the operationalisation of the Voi Gemstone Value Addition Centre will support artisanal miners who cannot afford quality assurance and value addition equipment.
“All indications on the ground point to the opening of the centre in the near future. The equipment for the centre will be provided by the national government,” she said.
Association chairman David Zowe said they have partnered with Africa Social Financing Centre and formed a marketing company called Tsavorite Market and Auction Centre Ltd, which will be used to sell the stones.
“Trading of gemstones under the Mining Act requires one to have a dealer’s licence. Getting this licence is no mean feat for an artisanal miner,” he said
The licence, Zowe said, will help the association in traceability to know the source of the gemstone.
Taita Taveta is endowed with tonnes of precious stones including Tsavorite, ruby, chrome tourmaline, yellow tourmaline, red garnets, green garnets and Tanzanite.
Others are manganese, iron ore, marble and limestone.
Zowe said plans are underway for the small-scale miners to start a weekly artisanal miners' gemstone market. It will be known as Tsavorite Market.
“It is hoped that with time the Tsavorite Market will be one of the tourist attraction destinations, drawing local and international gemstone hunters to the county,” he added.
The mining sector in the county has been dominated by unscrupulous local and foreign brokers who have been exploiting artisanal miners.
Edited by A.N
