The state-of-the-art Voi Gemology Center in Taita-Taveta County is poised for commissioning after the Ministry of Mining gazetted the committee to oversee the operations at the facility.
Mining Cabinet Secretary (CS) John Munyes on Friday published names of eight gemstone-experts who will be members of the committee. Their roles include helping operationalize the facility, offering advisory services to the center managers and sensitizing stakeholders on the value of the facility.
The gazettement has triggered excitement amongst thousands of gemstones artisanal miners who had been clamoring for the operationalization of the center.
Rev. David Zowe, the chair of the County Artisanal Miners Association said miners were optimistic they would start selling their gemstones through the center.
He added that artisanal miners would be the biggest beneficiaries and asked the government to commission the facility as soon as possible.
“With the committee in place, we now ask the center to be commissioned and to start operations,” he said.
The committee will be chaired by Mr. Benson Kigo, a veteran gemstone expert. He is also the chair of Taita-Taveta Gemstone Dealers’ Sacco. The secretary is Mr. Edward Omito from the Ministry of Mining.
Other members are Thomas Mwashumbe, Mohammed Huri, Consessa Wachenje, Doreen Mugambi and Evans Masachi.
The Sh 60-million gemstone processing center was funded by the government as part of an initiative to empower the artisanal and small-scale miners and to provide them with a facility where they can market their gemstones without being exploited by unscrupulous brokers.
Though the project was completed in 2018, it has not taken off due to lack of a committee to oversee the operations. Already, booth-allocation has been done with several stakeholders including artisanal miners getting one.
The county government has been calling for the opening of the center to spur the growth in the mining sector in the region.
Voi Gemology Center is the only gemstone processing center in Kenya. Once operational, all gemstones will be processed, weighed, valued and packaged before being exported. The center will also act as an exhibition gallery where dealers and buyers will come to buy processed stones.
There are hopes that the government will earn substantial revenue from gemstone mining unlike the current situation where the trade is unregulated as gemstones are smuggled from the mines to the buyers directly.
by Wagema Mwangi
