A mineral that has fueled a decades-long war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was discovered in Kenya. This rare mineral is coltan-a compound that is used to power car batteries, mobile phones and more electronics-and Kenya’s latest announcement could have international traders salivating and plotting on Kenyan land. Coltan has such a high market value due to its rarity and demand, and Kenya’s leaders must be strategic with their trading in the global market, to ensure their own civilians are prioritized and don’t fall victim to greed and/or Western influence.
Kenya’s government officials announced the discovery of Coltan in two regions on Wednesday, January 24, and have since found coltan reserves in four more counties. The announcement was made by Kenya’s Minister for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, Salim Mvurya, who told BBC News that the reserves’ value still needs to be assessed.
“We will leave our teams behind to do ground truthing so that we can now begin to assess the economic value of that particular mineral,” Mvurya said to BBC.
Many local Kenyan miners have reported being excited yet hesitant about this newfound discovery. Coltan is associated with economic prosperity and corruption, so while this could be a great opportunity for Kenya’s economy to grow, it could also be a chance for locals to be taken advantage of-just like we’ve been seeing in the DRC. This public announcement-which made the rumors of Coltan found in Kenya official-is a step in good faith in the eyes of many Kenyans who in the past have noted a sense of secrecy when it comes to the economics of land resources.
“That was the best thing for us,” said Chair of Mbeere Artisanal Miners Marketing Cooperative in Embu County, Peterson Njeru, to Kenya News Agency. “Mineral discoveries in the past were treated as top-secret. The information would only be shared amongst a few who would start to secretly exploit a resource that should also benefit us and the community. The public declaration of coltan find gives us assurance that the government wants communities and miners to benefit from its resources.”
Embu County was one of the first regions coltan was reported at.
The BBC noted that mining currently only makes up for less than one percent of Kenya’s GDP, but due to this recent news it could go up to 10%. These Coltan reserves could be incredibly promising to local Kenyans; they could create more job opportunities and capital-as long as-once again-nobody tries to take advantage of them.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo holds the most coltan reserves in the world, and with the constant rising demand for the mineral, the country is riddled with corruption and has been in the midst of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises for over 25 years that has claimed over 6 million lives due to rivals trying to colonize the land for its resources.
