The Ministry of Mining and Blue Economy on Tuesday directed all miners across the country to heed the Mining Regulations 2024 and remit their royalties in time.[โฆ]CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLEโถ
In a statement, Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho disclosed that the directive was in line with the Mining Act (Cap 306) that tabulated royalty rates chargeable for all miners in the country.
CS Joho noted that the Mining Regulations 2024 demanded that all miners remit their royalties every month through the eCitizen platform which would later be channeled to the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). Those wishing to pay were directed to use the government account number and account name which is the state department of mining.
According to the Ministry of Mining, any miner who fails to remit their royalties within sixty days from October 1 this year, risks having their mining permit revoked. โNote that the Mining Act stipulates that failure to remit royalties within 60 days after filing is grounds for revocation of a mining license or permit by the Cabinet Secretary,โ the ministry revealed.
The ministry further outlined the royalties payable for all miners extracting different types of minerals in the country. Those mining precious metals such as gold and platinoid group metals were directed to pay royalties at the rate of three per cent.
Meanwhile, Kenyans dealing in rare earth elements and radioactive minerals were urged to pay royalties at the rate of eight per cent with metallic ores miners such as copper, zinc, aluminium, vanadium, and manganese ordered to pay five per cent in royalties.
In the new rates, coal miners would pay seven per cent in royalties with Limestone, gypsum, dolomite, silica sand, talc, and carbon dioxide miners set to pay royalties at the rate of three per cent.
Similarly, clinker miners, cut gemstones, cement and salt miners would pay royalties at the rates of two per cent, six per cent, one per cent and 1.6 per cent respectively.
The latest directive comes barely a month after CS Hassan Joho promised to take legal action against individuals who would be found mining strategic minerals illegally. In his September 13 statement, Joho listed 14 minerals including rare earth, coltan, nickel, radioactive, niobium, copper, lithium, chromite, graphite, tin, tantalum, tsavorite, uranium, and thorium as strategic minerals.
โโThe Cabinet on its October 3, 2023, sitting declared 14 minerals as strategic. This means that any activity touching on the specified minerals including prospecting, mining, trading, dealing or processing was to be undertaken by or in partnership with the National Mining Corporation (NAMICO),โโ Joho stated.
Speaking at a public forum, the CS noted that such minerals would only be extracted in partnership with the Mining Corporation of Kenya (MCK)and that anyone found mining without the requisite documents would face the full wrath of the law.
โโDespite the robust measures instituted by the Ministry to safeguard these 14 strategic minerals, it has come to our attention that unscrupulous individuals, in total disregard of the law, have been prospecting, mining, and dealing in strategic minerals, particularly copper, coltan, and chromite,โโ Joho addedโฆCLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES>>>
