Four companies in Kenya have been accused of illegal mining of salt. Kensalt, Malindi salt, Krystalline Salt and Kurawa Industries appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly and accused of engaging in the salt business without licences for extraction and export permits, denying the government hundreds of millions of shillings in revenue.
Section 171 of the Mining Act of 2016, provides that exporting a mineral is only authorised by an export permit granted by the Cabinet secretary in charge. This means that the companies were required to obtain an export permit for any export consignment of the salt since 2016 when the Mining Act came into force.
The illegal exports have been flagged by the Auditor-General in the 2018/19 report before parliament. The report of the Auditor-General states that the government only pocketed Sh7.2 million and Sh74.42 million in mineral export levy and mining royalties respectively for the year under review.
The companies confirmed not having the export documents and when put to task, Mr Kibuti Mbogori, the general manager of Kensalt, said the salt his company was dealing in does not qualify as salt under the meaning of the Act which he said only recognises industrial or construction salt.
“The salt we are dealing with is neither used for industrial or construction minerals,” Mr Mbogori, whose company has been mining salt in the country since 1974, told the committee chaired by Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi.
Regulation 18 of the Mining Act
Malindi Salt has been operating in the country since 1978, Krystalline Salt since 1988 and Kurawa Industries since 1976. Regulation 18 of the Mining Act (Dealings in Minerals) Regulations of 2017, provides that a person shall not export a mineral unless the person holds a permit granted by the Cabinet secretary. Regulation 19 provides that a person shall not be qualified to apply for a permit to export minerals unless such a person is a holder of a mining licence, mining permit or a dealer’s permit.
The audit report noted that during the year under review, at least seven salt mining companies were operating in Kenya without mining licences and for which assessment for royalties due was not done. The companies extracted the salt in the coastal region and sold their products locally and abroad without export permits, the audit says.
“Although it was indicated that the State Department had engaged the salt mining operators with a view to formalising their operations as provided for in the Mining Act, delay in formalizing the operations hindered the collection of revenue from the companies,” said the audit report.
