A manganese mining company is looking to expand its operation area in Taita Taveta County as plans to kick off the extraction of the ore continue.
Universal Resources International Limited is expected to start mining in Mariwenyi, Mwatate sub-county after many years of prospecting and infrastructure development.
The Australian mining company had planned to start mining in 2020 but the plans were disrupted by the outbreak of the Covid 19 flu, which had brought the world to a standstill.
The investor has a 25-year mining license in Mariwenyi Mbambarenyi, Kalambe and Mwangea areas where it plans to begin the extraction of manganese ore in August this year. The mining licence covers a two square kilometre area.
The firm aims to extract and export over 100,000 tons of raw pure manganese ore annually at its current mining area. It is now trying to extend it to 300 square kilometres at the Ndara B ranch.
Steve Kimanyi, the company's director, said they had been prospecting for more minerals in the ranch that neighbours their licensed area.
The company plans to expand operations once it exhausts the ores in the current licensed area after it has started talks with Ndara B ranch to get its consent.
Kimanyi said that they wanted to expand their mine and they are in the process of signing an agreement with the ranch.
He said that there were enough manganese ore deposits that could lead to the company's approvals from the landowners and the government to extend their operations to the areas.
Kimanyi said they are in talks with the ranch's leadership to seek their consent as they work towards extending the area that is not covered by their current mining licence.
According to the pre-feasibility study to determine the economic viability of the site, the new location has reserves worth millions of metric tons that we want to exploit, he said.
According to earlier research conducted by the mining company, the amount of manganese ore deposits found in Mariwenyi area can be extracted for 50 -- 100 years.
Over 30 families whose land was acquired to pave way for the extraction have agreed with the investor that they would get at least 1 percent of the total sales every month.
The company's CEO Mark Stephenson said last year that the company had already pumped over 600 million dollars into the project and was planning to invest 2.2 billion more.
The royalties paid by the company are expected to benefit the local community, as well as the national and county government.
The government is expected to get monthly royalties of up to 98 million.
Ndara B group ranch mining sub-committee chairperson Bwanaheri Kalela said they are in talks with the company to come to an agreement before they give their consent.
We will give our consent once we agree on some issues. He said that we welcome investors to help us exploit the minerals within our ranch.
The 6,000-acre ranch is also endowed with other industrial minerals, including iron ore and limestone.