The Ministry of Mining today invited consultants to help it develop a proposal for the planned countrywide geophysical survey.
The consultants are expected to lay the ground rules for the survey by working with ministry officials to develop the survey’s specifications, supervise and monitor implementation of the survey and ensure it is executed cost effectively.
“The main objective is to obtain geophysical data that will form the basis for a review of the country’s geology and mineral resources and their distribution. And the ultimate goal is to gain knowledge on quantity and distribution of the country’s mineral resources so as to ensure their sustainable exploitation and utilisation in future,” said Mining Principal Secretary Mohammed Mahmud in a notice.
A tender for the survey will subsequently be issued.
Private companies have been forced to conduct their own expensive mini-surveys in their areas of interest as there is no public database of what minerals the country has.
Kenya has an enormous reserve of unexpoilted mineral resources that could transform the economy. Geologists and mining firms however say mapping and quantification has to be done to determine the exact potential.
The country has in past years attracted huge interest from both local and foreign firms seeking to exploit what is speculated to be vast mineral potential across the country including possible large deposits of gold, copper, mineral sands, and coal in various parts of the country.
Tanzania conducted similar studies back in 1970s while Uganda did hers between 2007 and 2010.
The Government has said Kenya’s recently adopted mining policy which replaced the 75 year old code from 1940 in addition to other initiatives is expected to help the country raise the mining sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product to 10 per cent from the current 0.9 per cent in the next ten years.
The overall value of mineral output rose by 14.7 per cent to Sh24.2 billion in 2015 up from Sh21 billion in 2014.
In the 2016/17 financial year the Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich allocated Sh3 billion for the phased implementation of the survey.
