The government has embarked on the process of digitising its core systems to improve efficiency and combat corruption in the mining sector.
Mining Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi has noted that his department was aware that corruption had adverse effects on their work, hence the risk of rolling back the main gains achieved in reforming the sector.
Speaking in Murang’a, Mwangi noted that among the major milestones achieved is the adoption of Online Mining Cadastre, a revolutionary online platform that grants miners’ rights for acquiring and allocating mining zones.
The PS stated that the system had made it easier for miners to access the platform and select an allocation area.
The system has reduced conflict and fights over mining zones by allowing prospective miners to know which areas are allocated and which are left untouched.
The department is prioritising the digitization of critical systems and operations to combat graft in the sector.
The department is also prioritising the digitization of explosives inventories, critical systems, and operations to combat graft in the sector.
Other digitised systems include royalty’s management systems, library resource management systems, artisanal mining digital registers, and geo-data information management systems.
Mwangi highlighted that the adoption of digital systems is enhancing the mining sector’s contribution to national development goals under the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
The initiatives involve formalising artisanal miners into strong marketing cooperatives, empowering them, and providing support through training, partnerships, and linkages between miners and other bodies.
Over 60 marketing cooperatives have been registered and have started undergoing training to equip the officials with critical skills ranging from digital marketing capabilities to value addition and legal compliance.
Meanwhile, the government has been pushing for the formation of artisanal mining cooperatives as part of an overarching objective to formalise operations and enhance regulations.
Mwangi announced that cooperatives of artisanal miners will be linked to supply materials for affordable housing construction through an agreement between the relevant ministries.
By Bernard Munyao
