STATEMENT BY THE CABINENT SECRETARY FOR MINISTRY OF
DEVOLUTION AND PLANNING
FOREWARD
The oil/gas and other minerals resources sector has been given prominence in the Second Medium Term Plan (2013-2018) as key contributor to the envisaged and sustained Gross Domestic Product growth of ten (10) per cent per annum to the end of 2030. Their management and development, from exploration to distribution and use, which up to now has suffered serious underfunding among other issues is therefore crucial.
This sector plan outlines the key priority areas that need to be addressed in order to realize the potentials of the sector. Already successes are seen in the form of increase in the oil/gas sector. The number of active exploration licenses has been on the increase following the discovery of oil in the Turkana area and gas in Lamu County. In a similar breath, a lot of effort has been made by the Government to clean up operations in the other minerals sector to make it more transparent and attract more investment. Following this, the first batch of titanium ore from the Kwale sand deposits was exported in the month of February 2014. An agreement has also been reached with cement manufacturing companies and Fluorspar Company of Kenya (Ltd) on payment of royalties on use of limestone and fluorspar.
As the country embarks to reap benefits from its oil/gas and other minerals, this momentum needs to be sustained. Several policy and bills will be reviewed or be formulated to govern the sector. In addition, scientific work in the industry needs to be intensified to increase the database of knowledge about the country’s natural wealth. Only in this way is the country going to achieve industrialization built upon
utilization of its natural resources.
Mr. Davis Chirchir,
Hon. Najib M. Balala, EGH
Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Secretary
Ministry of Energy and Petroleum