The Mining Sector Set To Grow In West Pokot As The Evaluating Committee Is Operationalized

By Benson Aswani,

The government through the ministry of mining, blue economy and maritime affairs has created a committee for evaluating and processing artisanal mining permit applications in West Pokot County.

According to the director of mines in the State Department for Mining Gregory Kituku, the committee will be in charge of the applications for grant, renewal and revocation for Artisanal Mining Permits (AMP), which shall be evaluated using the Artisanal Mining Manual developed and adopted by the State Department for Mining.

Speaking on Tuesday at a meeting with West Pokot County officials in the governor’s office, Mr. Kituku said that the move will strengthen the economy of West Pokot County and prevent illegal mining.

“We are very happy that we have operationalized the artisanal mining committee for West Pokot County because it is going to spur economic growth, and reduce illegal mining that is very prevalent,” said Mr. Kituku.

Mr. Kituku said that West Pokot County will experience a lot of growth in the mining sector due to the fact that it has a lot of minerals.

He further said that the Ministry is establishing eight regional mineral laboratories to cut the expenses of traveling to Nairobi to seek laboratory services for mines.

“West Pokot is endowed with a lot of minerals and in the next few years we are going to see a lot of growth in the mining sector,” he said.

On his part, the West Pokot County deputy governor Robert Komole, said that the move is a milestone in ensuring that small-scale mining is allowed.

“This is a milestone as far as mining is concerned because we have been having several mining activities which have been taking place in West Pokot without any approval from the committee,” said Mr. Komole.