President William Ruto has ordered the government to re-advertise the Magadi mining rights, opening the project to several companies following the exit of Tata Chemicals Magadi.
Speaking in Kajiado County on Saturday, September 5, Ruto said the new tender would allow more investors to apply for mining rights in the area, with the government considering giving licences to up to 10 companies.
The President said Magadi has enough mineral resources to support several investors instead of having the area controlled by a single company.
“We are going to advertise afresh so that other companies, not one company, even up to ten companies, can apply because the resource we have in Magadi is big enough to sustain more than one company,” Ruto said.
Under the new arrangements, companies awarded the mining rights will be required to process the minerals locally. Ruto said investors will be expected to establish glass and chemical factories in Kenya instead of exporting the raw minerals for processing elsewhere.
The President also announced plans to reduce the amount of land that mining companies can occupy in Magadi. He said companies would not be allowed to control the entire 240,000 acres, with only between 20 and 30 per cent set aside for mining activities.
According to Ruto, the remaining 70 per cent will be returned to residents of Kajiado.
“We are going to ensure that no company will occupy 240,000 acres of Kajiado land. They are going to occupy just 20 to 30 per cent of the land, and 70 per cent will go back to residents of Kajiado,” he said.
Ruto defended his decision to terminate the previous arrangement, describing it as exploitative and saying it had been in place for about a century without giving residents enough benefit from the resources in their area.
He also dismissed criticism of his decision, saying the government would not continue with agreements that he believes disadvantage Kenyans.
The fresh tender comes as some Kajiado residents remain concerned about the impact of Tata Chemicals Magadi’s departure, particularly on jobs and services supported by the company.
Residents have raised fears of job losses among people who depended on the Magadi operations. There are also concerns about the future of projects supported by the company, including three schools in the area.
Ruto’s announcement comes two days after he ordered Tata Chemicals Magadi to leave Kenya, accusing the company of benefiting from Magadi’s resources for more than 100 years without giving residents enough returns.
