There is hope for employment for more Kenyans after Base Titanium Limited expressed interest in continuing investing in the country after applying for new mining licences.
The Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs Ali Hassan Joho, received applications for the Base Titanium’s plans in Tana River County and Lamu County.
This is according to a Gazette Notice dated Friday, November 15.
"Pursuant to Section 34 (3) of the Mining Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs notifies receipt of an application for a prospecting license from Base Titanium Limited," CS Joho announced.
After receiving the application, Joho directed anyone objecting to the licencing to report to the Ministry within 21 days from November 15, 2024, at his office Works Building, Ngong Road, Nairobi.
"Any objection by any person or community against the grant of the Prospecting Licence may be submitted to the Cabinet Secretary within twenty-one (21) days from the date of this Notice," the CS directed.
This allows feedback from the community before the Cabinet Secretary, with advice from the Mineral Rights Board, approves the licences.
The Mining Act 2016 stipulates that a person or community may object to the grant of a licence within twenty-one days in the case of an application for a prospecting license and within forty-two days in the case of an application for a mining license.
The Cabinet Secretary shall then hear and determine any objection to an application through the Minerals Rights Board.
This application comes as a ray of hope to hundreds of families in the counties who have benefited from the activities of Base Titanium.
Over 1500 workers had lost their jobs after the Australian company announced plans to exit the Kenyan market. The company had issued redundancy notices to workers, as revealed in its financials, in the six months leading up to December 2023.
The company was to exit following the depletion of minerals in Kwale and the government's failure to renew its permit.
