Kenya’s first titanium ore exports to be delayed

By JOSEPH MASHA and BENARD SANGA

KILIFI, KENYA: Hopes that Base Titanium could start to export the first batch of titanium ore from Kwale County have been dealt a blow.

This is after the Ministry of Mining indicated on Monday that it was yet to make a decision on the export permit.

Early this month, Base Titanium Ltd, the Kenyan subsidiary of Australian Base Resources Ltd, announced it had applied for an export permit to enable it ship out the first batch of 100 tonnes of rutile component of the mineral sand to Japan.

Mining Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala admitted the ministry had received the company’s application and that it would work on it after he has met the company’s director Tim Carson.

“Next week I will be leading a Kenyan delegation to attend a global conference for stakeholders in the mining sector in South Africa and the issue of granting a licence to Base Titanium Company will be talked about,” said Mr Balala.

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Speaking in Kilifi where he attended a two-day seminar for the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Balala said he will be holding a meeting with different stakeholders including Mr Carson in South Africa next week and that is when the decision over the export permit would be made.

Balala did not, however, elaborate on the reasons behind the delay or why he first must meet Carson before he issues the licence, only saying “there are issues that need to be sorted out”.