Relief for Tsavorite gem dealers as state shelves strategic listing

The government has agreed to give an additional six-month exemption to miners and dealers dealing with Tsavorite gemstones.

Director of Mines, Gregory Kituku, said this was in response to requests from dealers to revise the list, which had placed the rare gem as part of strategic minerals.

"Today we have agreed with stakeholders that Tsavorite will be exempted as a strategic mineral for the time being as we transition to have a Cabinet memo prepared for onward presentation for approval," Kituku said.

Tsavorite is a rare gemstone originally found in Tsavo, hence its name.

It is one of the highly-priced garnets on the market.

The government had placed the gem among 14 strategic minerals as a deliberate effort to eradicate the smuggling of the precious stone.

Other minerals listed as strategic include radioactive minerals like uranium and thorium, cobalt, copper, graphite and niobium, amongst others.

The move was meant to tame unscrupulous local and international dealers who have been linked to tax evasion.

The precious stone is highly found in Mkuki, Kabanga and Kulanze areas of Taita Taveta county.

The director said the department will fast-track issuance of mineral dealers and mineral rights processing  licences in the region.

He spoke to dealers during an engagement meeting at Voi Gemstone, Value Addition and Marketing Centre.

"Currently we have 138 licences that are lying uncollected in Nairobi. We have agreed that they be brought to the centre for collection."

He further said the government will work closely with all stakeholders in the extractive industry to streamline operations.

Franklin Mwakaba from the Kenya Chamber of Mines welcomed the move to exempt Tsavorite as a strategic mineral.

"We are so happy that the government has given us a listening ear and we are going home knowing that those who have received their licences will  continue dealing with Tsavorite without interference," Mwakaba said.

Dealers are in support of all government measures to curb mineral smuggling and net taxes from the industry, he added. 

Plans are also in top gear to finalise a report on the Presidential declaration on mining in national parks.

David Onyancha, the Director of Administration in the Ministry, said the government is working on a policy framework to guide the issuance of licences to artisanal and small-scale miners.

This will give them permission to access precious stones in the parks.

When finalised, the new law will be a reprieve to hundreds of miners who have been pushing to acquire a licence to mine in the Tsavo National Park.

The expansive twin park forms part of the mineral belt in the region, which is rich in several types of semi-precious and precious stones.

They include rubies, amethyst, tourmalines, kyanites, tsavorite, chrome tourmaline, yellow tourmaline, red garnets, green garnets, Tanzanite and peridot amongst others.

The Tsavo also has tonnes of deposits of industrial minerals such as iron ore, quartz, manganese, marble and limestone.