29 Jun 2016

Kenya President, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta has said his country will benchmark from Botswana’s mining industry.

He told BOPA in an interview during a tour of Orapa Open Pit Diamond Mine on Tuesday that his country was looking into developing its mining sector.

He said his country wanted to use the example of Botswana as a country that had the best legal framework and also institutional arrangement for the exploitation of mineral resources.

He said as a country, Kenya wanted to learn how Botswana managed to develop the mining sector and how this country managed to get it to a level where the country was not only involved as a nation in mining, but also through the whole process all the way to the point of sale where the resources were actually accruing to the people of Botswana.

“This is what we want to learn from Botswana as we begin developing our mining industry in Kenya. We are very young in mining and we want to begin on the right foot,” he said.

He said Kenya had a lot to learn from Botswana both from the legal frame work aspect in terms of the laws his country would require and to establish how to engage in agreements with mining companies that wished to partner with his country.

“Our mining industry is still at an infant stage and not as developed as Botswana. That is why we are hoping to get a lot of experience from the lessons learnt here in Botswana,” he said.

For his part, Minister of Minerals Energy and Water Resources, Mr Kitso Mokaila told BOPA in an interview that President Kenyatta was impressed with Botswana’s mining industry.

He said Botswana and Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding in mining and both countries were still due to set up technical committees that would work together. 

He explained that since Botswana’s mining industry started in early 1970’s, the country had trained and engaged Batswana in mining. 

He said with the experience the country had in mining, they intended to liaise and work with Kenya to bring expertise and advise the Eastern African country.

Meanwhile, during tour of the Orapa Mine, President Kenyatta had the opportunity to get briefing on the mining operations at the open pit by Debswana- Orapa Letlhakane Mines senior mining manager, Mr Johannes Mchive. President Kenyatta also had the opportunity test drive one of the Mine’s huge 830 E Komatsu trucks.

The trucks that work on a 30 minute cycle carry a load of 220 tons of ore in one trip.

Mr Kenyatta was also shown how to operate the machine by one of the driver operators, Ms Chandapiwa Lesifi whom he stated that he was impressed that such huge machinery was operated by a woman. He was accompanied by minister Mokaila, Debswana managing director, Mr Balisi Bonyongo, OLDM general manager, Mr Alana Breen, senior officials from Debswana, senior government officials from both Kenya and Botswana and Dikgosi. Ends