Kisumu — Stakeholders in the Mining Industry are now appealing to President William Ruto to suspend last year's Gazette Notice on 14 strategic minerals.
The Chair of the Kenya Chamber of Mines, Patrick Kanyoro says the listing of the minerals was not professionally done and calls for wider consultation with the miners and policy makers.
Kanyoro says there are a number of gaps, which need to be ironed out but only through honest conversations.
The government last year declared Cobalt, Copper, Lithium, Niobium, Coltan, Tantalum, Tin, Tsavorite, Nickel, Graphite, Chromite, Thorium and Uranium and other rare earths as strategic minerals.
Kanyoro says the formulation of the list hit small scale miners thus the need for a review.
"This is a passionate appeal to His Excellency to reconsider the transition Gazette Notice issued last year so as to cushion our miners," he said.
He says the government is entitled to a 10 percent in the share capital of mining operations relating to strategic minerals.
"We must do the things keeping in mind that we have people who are currently mining some of the minerals listed under strategic minerals and attracting 10 percent to the government," he said.
Speaking during a forum with small scale miners in Migori, the Miners Chairman says the sector has the potential to raise the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) if well harnessed.
He raised a concern on the slow pace by the Ministry of mining to issue licenses to prospective investors in the sector.
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"We are particularly concerned that licenses, whether you are talking about prospective licenses, dira licenses, mining licenses and permits, have not been issued," he said.
Kanyoro says as the year heads to its end, the government is losing out on revenue that could have been generated through issuance of licenses in the sector.
He says the missed opportunity has a bearing on the country's GDP, besides losing out on job opportunities for the youth in the sector.
Dan Odida, the national chairman of small scale miners says the delay in issuance of licenses is affecting the growth of the sector.
Odida says many miners who have shown interest in the sector have been unable to get licenses to start operations.
"Just recently, the government through the Ministry of Mining told the miners to apply for the licenses, however, we were shocked that the available licenses were issued out to a Chinese firm, locking out our miners," said Odida.
