We Are Here To Build Companies That Thrive And Link Them Up To Mines In East Africa

The announcement of the discovery of Coltan in Kenya was made a week ago by the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Salim Mvurya during a field visit to Embu County where deposits of this critical mineral resource are located.

Coltan, often called the mineral of the future, is classified as among the key drivers of the global technological revolution due to its importance in the manufacturing of phones, computers, tablets, semiconductors, batteries for electric vehicles, and other emergent communication technological devices.

Already, the Mining Department has deployed a multi-agency team of 23 specialists led by geologists for a ground-truthing exercise in Embu. The team’s mandate includes comprehensive surveying of the mapped area and conducting in-depth multiple analytical tests to determine the size, depth, geochemical properties and estimated value of this strategic mineral resource.

Mvurya noted that after conducting the National Aerial Geophysical Survey, an activity conducted to map the country’s mineral resources, the exercise disclosed the presence of 970 mineral occurrences across the 47 counties in Kenya. Coltan was amongst hundreds of minerals mapped during the survey.

This led to the launching of the ground-truthing exercise to gather comprehensive and actionable data on the country’s mineral resources.

“This activity will provide solid data on critical aspects of this resource in addition to forming the foundation for future decisions and informing plans on investors’ engagement,” said the CS.

Apart from Embu County, more deposits of Coltan have been discovered in other areas including Kora Wells in Tana River County; Mwingi North in Kitui; Nachola area in Samburu; Loima and Makutano in Turkana County and Alale in West Pokot.