KISUMU, Kenya- President William Ruto has announced plans to prohibit the export of unprocessed gold as Kenya moves to refine its minerals locally and protect miners from exploitation by middlemen.
Speaking during a media engagement at Kisumu State Lodge, Ruto said the government would introduce approved channels for selling and exporting gold mined in Kenya.
“I have given very clear and firm instructions that this is the time to organise this space,” Ruto said.
“There is a lot of gold being exported out of Kenya through all manner of corners. We are going to stop the export of gold from Kenya unless it is processed.”
The President said the government was adopting a coordinated approach involving the Central Bank of Kenya and other state institutions to regulate the gold trade.
Under the proposed arrangement, gold mined in the country would be processed locally, with the Central Bank becoming the first point of sale.
“We are already working with our Central Bank because we want the gold that is mined in Kenya to be processed here,” Ruto said.
“We want the Central Bank of Kenya to be the first point of sale for gold that is coming from Kenya, so that we are sure about prices and remove exploitation.”
Ruto said artisanal and small-scale miners were losing income to brokers and unregulated dealers who purchased gold below its value.
“A lot of miners are being exploited by middlemen and crooks,” he said.
The government has not announced when the proposed restrictions will take effect or published the regulations that will govern purchases by the Central Bank and licensed exporters.
Export through approved channels
Ruto said Kenya has three gold refineries, including one under development in Kakamega County.
The government, through the National Mining Corporation, is working with private investors to construct a Sh5.8 billion gold refinery in Kakamega. The county government provided land for the project.
“We are going to make it illegal for anybody to export gold from Kenya if it is not processed and if it is not through approved government channels,” Ruto said.
The President said Kenya would follow measures introduced by Ghana and Zimbabwe to retain more value from their mineral resources.
“That is what Ghana did, that is what Zimbabwe has done, and that is how we are going to do it in Kenya,” he said.
Ghana introduced a requirement that gold bought for export must first be processed at an approved refinery in the country. Its restrictions on exports of unrefined gold took effect on September 1, 2026.
Ruto said Kenya’s value-addition policy would extend beyond gold to coltan, rare earth minerals, tantalum and other resources extracted in the country.
“And not just for gold, but for all minerals we are mining in Kenya,” he said.
The President had earlier announced that Kenya would end exports of raw minerals, including limestone, iron ore, graphite, titanium and soda ash, to create jobs and retain more revenue locally.
Dangote pipeline and Lamu refinery
Ruto also said the government was working with Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote on plans to construct a crude oil pipeline from Turkana to a proposed refinery in Lamu.
The planned refinery is expected to process crude oil for Kenya and the wider East African market.
Dangote has proposed investing between $15 billion and $16 billion in a facility with a capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day.
Kenya is yet to begin commercial oil production in Turkana, and the pipeline would require major infrastructure and investment before crude could be transported to Lamu.
The refinery project is also expected to depend on crude supplies from Kenya, neighbouring countries or international markets.
Ruto said the proposed refinery and mineral-processing plants formed part of the government’s plan to stop exporting raw materials and increase the value generated from Kenya’s natural resources.
