Kilifi governor Gideon Mung’aro has tasked the national government to immediately pay KSh 950 million in mining royalties it owes.
The funds have accrued for seven years between 2016 and 2023 without any intervention from the previous regime, but it is now time the mining ministry remits the funds to the devolved government to enhance the development of the region.
He was speaking to the press after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Chinese firm which targets to do exploration for minerals in the county.
The national government collects 70% of the mining royalties, with counties receiving 20% and the community receiving 10%.
Mr Mung’aro took issue with the old traditional habit by the national government to negotiate directly with investors and then issue them with mining licences without the involvement of the counties, which has caused conflicts of interests for the communities living in mining exploration areas.
The most important details in this text are that the Kilifi County Lands Executive Jane Kamto and the Chinese company Shanichi Mining Development Company Limited have signed an MoU with the county government to curb the old tendency of mining companies to directly negotiate with the national government and start mining without involving the devolved unit.
The MoU outlines how the communities will benefit from the mining activities through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, as well as how they can refill the land after the end of their activities.
The Chinese company will carry an exploration for the minerals for between one and two years before they start extraction. The MoU also outlines the measures the companies need to take after the end of their mining period.
Kilifi is home to several mineral deposits, but they have been a source of suffering for people living in the mining zones.
To address this, the county government has agreed to pay farmers and villages affected a sum of Sh12,000 every month until they start mining.
Investors must sign an MoU with the county government and comply with all requirements before starting mining. This is done for the benefit of the community.
