Kenya has now been declared a coltan rich country after the Mining Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya announced that coltan discovery in kenya has been made with large disposits discovere.
Coltan is a mineral is used to manufacture electric car batteries, mobile phones and other electronic devices. The mineral has been discovered in several counties including Embu, Samburu and Turkana.
The mineral is found in Democratic Republic of Congo that currently holds more than 70% of the world’s coltan reserves. The mineral has for decades fuelled violent conflict in the east of the country.
Also Read: Azimio Was Bought Last Year Into Government, Aukot Claims
According to reports by the Cabinet Secretary, deposits of the mineral have been found in six counties across the country, but their value is yet to be determined. However, the discovery is expected to create more jobs and expand Kenya’s mining industry.
Residents in the counties that the minerals have been discovered have been advised to hold onto their land and not to sell to anyone at whatever price because the coltan discovery in Kenya is more valuable and is set to benefit them.
A precious mineral has been found here and if you want to benefit you should not sell your land. We will leave our teams behind to do ground truthing so that we can now begin to assess the economic value of that particular mineral.
Also Read: Calls For Kihika’s Impeachment Intensity As Senator Tabitha Karanja Pushes On
The international demand for coltan is growing fast and has become one of the driving forces behind the conflict in eastern DR Congo, as rival militias fight for control of mines that produce coltan and other valuable minerals.
The price of coltan depends on how much tantalum it contains, but on average, a kilogram of the rare ore fetches $48 and it will be be a good start in a wake to turn the economy that is crumbling around.