TURKANA, Kenya – Kenya’s critical minerals industry is witnessing significant growth, and new deals are likely to be signed moving forward.
The East African nation has substantial untapped mineral resources, presenting significant opportunities for exploration and investment.
Potential areas for growth include rare earth elements, precious stones, and even oil and gas.
Against this background, this week, artisanal miners and other stakeholders from Naduat, Lolupe, and Makutano of Nakalale Ward, Turkana North Sub-county, participated in a community engagement session organised by the County Government through the Department of Mining.
The forum’s goal was to get community opinions on Gazette Notice No. 3874, published on March 28, 2025, announcing that AHG Metals Kenya Limited had been granted a mining licence.
Minerals In Turkana County. Location 1: North Turkana Volcanic Province.
To carry out mineral mapping and mining activities in Lolupe, Naduat, and Makutano, the company is requesting a licence.
At the Lolupe and Naduat mining locations, local miners, community elders, and county government representatives gathered for the engagement discussions. Giving the community a forum to voice their opinions and concerns about the mining company’s proposed licence was the aim.
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Triza Arus Amoni, the chief officer for mining, spoke during the engagement and restated the county government’s dedication to public involvement.
“We are available to listen and make sure your opinions are taken into account during the licensing procedure,” said Amoni.
Amoni declared that no mining project will move forward without the residents’ informed approval and participation.
She also underlined the county’s dedication to ethical mining methods that protect livelihoods and the environment while benefiting nearby people.
Community leaders emphasised the value of openness and urged AHG Metals Kenya Ltd. and the County Government to put the needs of the community first.
Public engagement, land rights and tenure security, compensation and benefit sharing, environmental protection, relocation, and the possible loss of grazing grounds were among the issues brought up by artisanal miners and locals during the forum.
“We have worked on this land for years,” Akuleu Joshua stated, speaking on behalf of the Lolupe community. “We applaud progress, but not at the price of our rights and means of subsistence.”
Other minerals in the southern area of Turkana include chromite, copper, limestone, trona, magnesite, bentonite clays, Rare-Earths, asbestos, talc, silica, vermiculite, graphite, silimanite, & corundum are documented resources largely between Lokichar and Lokori.
Emmanuel Anam, a Naduat artisanal miner, maintained that AHG Metals should respect the community’s voice, safeguard the environment, and make sure that residents directly benefit from the company’s operations in the area.
The meeting came barely a week after the Jatann and Ajokis Artisanal Miners Co-operative Societies in Nakalale Ward, Turkana North Sub-county, received a variety of tools from the County Government.
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The tools, which comprise two contemporary Airpick demolisher machines, thirty headlamps, and eighty metallic pans, are designed to help miners efficiently recover gold.
Amoni, the chief officer for energy, petroleum, and mineral resources, stated during the handover that the action was intended to increase productivity and improve safety.
“Our analysis showed that Turkana’s artisanal miners relied on labour-intensive, sluggish, physically taxing, and sometimes fatal physical digging with rudimentary tools. The process will be quicker, safer, and more efficient thanks to this equipment,” Amoni stated.
The chief officer was hopeful that the equipment would provide the miners a competitive edge in making more money from the mining industry.
Geoffrey Lokuta, the chair of the Jatann Artisanal Miners Co-operative, confirmed that the supply was past due when he accepted the machines.
“It is accurate to say that we have been employing labour-intensive excavation techniques. Because of this, the majority of us have passed away from weariness, respiratory conditions, and even death,” he stated.
The Chair expressed gratitude to the county government and noted that the supply was an indication of their dedication to the well-being of Turkana’s increasing artisanal miners.
