The Ministry of Mining and the Kenya revenue Authority has confiscated 27 illegal containers of copper ore in the last three months meant for export.
Cabinet Secretary on Mining Najib Balala said that the containers were often disguised as ordinary sand and shipped out.
Speaking during the opening of a two-day consultative workshop on extractive industries, the Secretary said that the strict enforcement of the regulations in The New Mining bill of 2014 had enabled them to intercept a lot of minerals being transported illegally out of the country.
“The opaqueness of the Mining sector has seen a lot happening, especially the shipping out of gems generated from Migori, Isbania and Taita Taveta. The minerals have been shipped out of the country in the disguised as ordinary sand or being branded by other identities including ordinary goods,” said Balala.
Balala hit out at people criticising him for intercepting the goods, saying they turned the issue into a personal battle and some were even lobbying that he be removed from the ministry.
“When we intercept goods we do it as the government and not as individuals. We have the rights documents and we have noted Copper exported without proper documents while gold is exported without paying taxes and royalties to the government,” added Balala.
Balala brushed out the contempt of court suit, citing that they had followed the legal proceeding in the case.
“We had put an appeal and injunction on those goods but because of technicalities we could not succeed. We have given the appeal to the Attorney general. The goods were falsified and we want the owners to understand its not the ministry that holds the goods rather KRA does,” added the Balala.