Last Updated 9 years ago by Kenya Engineer
Ministry of Mining is set to open a new gemstone cutting and value addition centre at Voi in Taita Taveta County. The KES50 million factory to be commissioned in May will increase the value of minerals produced in the county and be sold to other markets.
It will also act as a collection point for precious stones mined by small scale miners in the coastal region. Currently the factory is 98 per cent complete will cut, polish, add value and package gemstones for sale to the international market. The center is part if the four the government is putting up at a cost if KES100 million.
This comes after the Parliamentary Budget and Appropriation Committee reinstated a $28.5 million budget to carry out a survey to determine the country’s mineral wealth.But this will not be done as Kenya lacks local companies and capacity to undertake the job.
According to the Committee, the country lacks local capacity to undertake the aerial minerals mapping survey. Earlier on, the National Treasury had directed the Mining Ministry to contract China’s Geological Exploration Technology Institute (GETI) to carry out the survey owing to the fact that the Chinese government had offered to fund it. The survey is estimated to cost $70 million and can be carried out in a span of 30 months said a published post.
Aerial surveys are done using highly specialized equipment that Kenya is not in a position to acquire locally hence it can only be carried out by a foreign firm in partnership with a local company. Kenya only has about 1,000 geologists, the majority of whom are in the field of hydrogeology.
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