The Government has received fresh applications from mining companies seeking to explore or extract gold and other precious metals across five counties, with members of the public given an opportunity to raise objections.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The applications cover Narok, West Pokot, Homa Bay, Kisii, Migori and Kitui, placing large sections of the counties under consideration for mineral exploration.

In Narok County, two applications have been submitted for gold mining licences, covering a combined area of about 2.65 square kilometres.

Another prospecting application covers parts of Homa Bay, Kisii and Migori counties, with an area of approximately 321.9 square kilometres. The applicant is seeking to explore for Group C precious metals.

📌 What You Need to Know

West Pokot has also attracted two applications for gold prospecting covering a combined 546 square kilometres, making it one of the largest areas affected by the latest mining applications.

The latest interest in gold comes shortly after three boys reportedly discovered gold in Cheporor village , Kanyarkwat, West Pokot County, in August. The discovery attracted an estimated 10,000 people to the area within days, including people from other parts of Kenya and neighbouring Uganda, as residents rushed to search for the precious metal.

In Kitui County, an application has been made to prospect for coal over an area measuring about 319.4 square kilometres, adding the mineral to the latest exploration activities being considered by the State.

The applications effectively mean that prospective operators are seeking permission to investigate the mineral potential of the identified areas. They do not, however, mean that commercial mining has already started or that all the proposed operations have received final approval.

The areas identified in the Gazette notices are defined through specific cadastral blocks and geographical coordinates, outlining the locations where the proposed exploration would take place.

Members of the public and affected communities have been allowed to raise objections to the applications before the licences are granted. For the prospecting applications, objections can be submitted to the Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, Hassan Ali Joho, within 21 days from the date of the notices.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke