A select group of Kenyans will start receiving a share of Ksh7.5 billion payout starting March 2023.
This was announced by Mining Cabinet Secretary (CS) Salim Mvurya on Tuesday, January 17.
The money is part of royalties meant for communities with mineral resources that had not been disbursed by previous administrations.
“The law requires that mining revenue be shared between the government, counties where the revenue comes from and the community.
“Ideally, the ratio of sharing is 70:20:10 between government, counties, and communities respectively,” the Mining CS explained.
While the National Government and respective counties have been receiving a share of the revenue, communities, where those minerals are mined, have not been getting their share.
According to the office of the Auditor General, the ministry holds mineral royalties for host communities worth Ksh7.5 billion and Mvurya assured that the distribution will be made.
“There was a lack of legal framework in the past to guide the distribution of mineral royalties.
“We have formulated a good structure on how the money will be shared starting in March 2023,” the CS promised.
Regions expected to get the bulk of the cash include Kwale, Kitui, Kakamega, Migori, Turkana, and Homa Bay where mining is made on a large scale.
Areas with mineral resources will also experience an economic boom after the CS promised to rescind a ban on mining exploration licenses introduced in 2019.
“We will lift the ban on the issuance of mining licenses after digitizing the whole industry, creating a mineral lab, and receiving a geo-mapping report.
“All these are on schedule to be achieved by the end of February 2023,” the CS remarked.
