Kitui minerals enough to grow Kenya — CS

Kitui county is a sleeping economic giant that can make Kenya fully industrialised were its vast mineral resources to be fully exploited, Petroleum and Mining CS Peter Munyes Said in Kitui on Friday.

Munyes said it was unacceptable that a big population in Kitui people continued to languish in poverty while minerals worth trillions of shillings that could change their lives for the better lie underneath their land.

“God has given us resources. Below the ground is huge of minerals and that is a game changer,” said CS Munyes.

He said his ministry was committed to working with county governments to ensure that minerals in Kitui and other parts of Kenya were exploited to the benefit of the citizens.

The CS was addressing a Kitui mineral miners and stakeholders consultative forum at the Kitui Kefri centre. Munyes who was in company of his Principal Secretary John Omenge was hosted by Kitui governor Charity Ngilu.

Munye granted to the request by Ngilu that miners should only be allowed to lease land where the minerals are found so that it reverts back to original owners once the mineral deposits are expended.

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Further responding to the governor’s concern that many investors that had been given concession to mine in Kitui have stayed for years without commencing work, Munyes said his audited of all licensed miners with be contacted.

Ngilu said that she was opposed to minining firms buying land were minerals were found and the leasing was more acceptable. She said in cases where the investors have bought land her government will set aside money to refund the investor to allow the land leasing plan.

“The residents want to first be issued with land tittle deeds before the mining kick off. There after the investors could move in to kick of the mining,” said the governors.

Ngilu said that through consultative meeting he held in mineral areas across Kitui, residents were willing to allow the process to kick off. She said her administration will ensure that all people who will be displaced by mining are settled in eco villages near towns with sufficient amenities.

She said that her government was working in collaborations with the National government to ensure that minerals brokers do not continue operating and messing up mining in Kitui.

“The will only one single door to mining in Kitui. Those who could have acquired mining licences though the back door, they (licences) stand null and void,” said the governor. She reteriated that there was no reason why Kitui people should live in poverty and depend on alms with the vast mineral in the county.

By a show of hand, the governor moved the resident present at the mineral consultative meeting to declare support for mining as a way of ending vicious cycle of poverty among Kitui county residents. She ruled out future boardroom meeting in Nairobi on the Kitui mineral wealth.

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