13/01/2026
Good morning my people.
A few years ago I got the opportunity to get involved in the conversation concerning the intended mining of Niobium and rare earths in the Mrima Hill area of Kwale County. This was before Devolution.
As a child of the soil and a legal practitioner, I believe it's important to also share my views on this issue.
First, I begin by saying it makes sense to support mining because it creates wealth, jobs, etc for the community and the nation.
However, mining should only be undertaken in a manner where the community and environment are reasonably protected. The extraction of Minerals can be either a blessing or a curse to a community or nation, and we have seen examples of both scenarios.
Our expectation as the people of Kwale and the lunga Lunga community, is that the government will not (in its quest to generate revenue) throw caution to the wind and use intimidation, coercion and undue influence to force stakeholders to embrace the exploration without ticking every box in the mining framework checklist!
We will monitor every step taken by the investor and the government going forward. We will applaud where the procedure is followed, and resist where we note violations!
All in all, we will provide the support and the oversight that is required to ensure the lives, livelihoods, rights and the environment of the kwale-Lunga Lunga-Mrima community are respected.
I plan to provoke a discussion on the steps to be taken by stakeholders from the time a mining company expresses interest to the time a mine is closed after the conclusion of mining activities.
Follow and participate in this discussion.
S. N. Ruwa, MBS
Legal Counsel
