Bid to control mineral wealth opens new battlefront in Kitui

Kitui County Executive in charge of Environment, Energy and Minerals Investments Development George Mulatya (centre) [shares a word with his Chief Officer Dr Muusya Mwinzi (left) and a participant in Mwingi Wednesday during a county climate change workshop. [PHOTO:PHILIP MUASYA / STANDARD]

A new fight has erupted over the vast limestone deposits in Kitui County, following new regulations that, if effected, will see investors lease land and submit the funds to the county government.

The regulations, announced last week by George Mulatya, the county executive in charge of Environment, Energy and Mineral Investment Development, have drawn criticism from a section of the Kitui County assembly and residents who own property in limestone-rich areas.

A group of 11 MCAs, led by Minority Leader Alex Nganga, and the Ngaaie community, which owns the land ARM Cement intends to put up a Sh25 billion factory on, have accused the county executive of scaring away investors.

While announcing the new mining guidelines to the Press last week, Mr Mulatya said any investor interested in Kitui minerals would only be allowed to lease, not buy, land directly from the land owners.

Mulatya said this was meant to ensure locals are not exploited by investors.

He also threatened to revoke the prospecting licence awarded to ARM for what he said was continued direct engagement with the Ngaaie community.

Act of blackmail

MCAs against the guidelines termed them an “act of blackmail”, saying they would deny the county much-needed investment in mineral wealth.

The ward representatives questioned the involvement of the county government on issues of private land, especially in Ngaaie, where they said the adjudication process has been completed and land owners issued with plot numbers, awaiting title deeds.

They asked Mulatya to issue directives that create a conducive environment for investors rather than frustrating them with bureaucracy.

“The county government cannot dictate terms in matters of private land. Instead of adding red tape, we should be encouraging investors to come in. As a county assembly, we support the private bargaining agreement between the investors and the communities because they are individual land owners,” said Nganga.

The MCAs said they would tour mineral-rich areas, especially Ngaaie, Kanziku and the coal-rich Mui Basin, to educate the public “on the unrealistic regulations bent on bullying investors”.

“Kitui County stands to lose if we frustrate and intimidate investors; they will simply go to other places,” added Nganga, while appealing to the Government to protect mining investors from “rogue counties”.

And on Friday, the vice chairman of the Ngaaie community’s liaison committee, Muthisya Mutembei, said the community had no problem with investors, adding they were awaiting full compensation for their land and the setting up of the factory. Area MP John Munuve supported the community’s stand.

Full compensation

“On whose behalf is the county executive acting? They did not consult us,” said Mr Mutembei.

The community added that it would boycott a meeting called by the county executive today to sensitise them on the mining regulations.

The ARM manager in charge of the Ngaaie project, Tom Mbathi, said the firm’s paperwork was in order and all procedures had been followed.

The company plans to pay land owners in Ngaaie Sh150,000 per acre, in addition to compensating them for structures and trees.

Its business plan, presented by ARM Managing Director Pradeep Paunrana, was adopted by the county government in August last year during a meeting attended by Governor Julius Malombe, Mulatya, Mr Munuve, MCAs and representatives of the Ngaaie community.

The company said the proposed factory would create 3,500 jobs, with the firm setting up an annual Sh10 million trust fund to finance local community projects.

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