Kwale land fears grow as Kenya nears decision on Mrima Hill mineral project
Written on
Kenya says it will name a developer for the Mrima Hill rare earths project within weeks, as farmers and the Digo community in Kwale warn they have not been told how their land, farms and ancestral graves would be affected.
Plans to extract rare earths and other minerals from Kenya's forested Mrima Hill in Kwale County are raising concern among residents who say they have received little information about the project, including where extraction would take place and how it could affect their livelihoods and cultural sites.
Mining Minister Hassan Joho told the Associated Press that a technical committee is evaluating five proposals for the project, with an announcement expected within two to three weeks. The ministry has not disclosed the nationalities of the bidders, citing confidentiality. Australian company RareX said its consortium with Iluka Resources submitted a technical and financial proposal on 21 October, and Nasdaq-listed Critical Metals Corp announced in July that its consortium had been shortlisted for the final bidding stage.
Justus Mwero, chairman of the Mrima Farm Owners Community-Based Organisation, which has about 500 registered farmers, said the community has not been informed about the process or how people will be looked after. Farmers living around the hill are concerned that any relocation could push them onto less fertile land, although it remains unclear whether the project would require residents to move.
For members of the local Digo community, the hill holds significance beyond its mineral resources: the area contains a sacred forest, known as a kaya, where community members say their ancestors are buried. "All our ancestors are buried here. We will refuse any digging of the hill," said Masoud Suleiman Mwarizo, chairman of the Mrima Hill Digo Community Trust, established in 2025 to protect the community's interests in the project. The Mrima Hill Sacred Grove forest reserve was declared a national monument in 1992.
The government frames the project as part of a push to expand mining's contribution to gross domestic product from around 1 percent to 10 percent within a decade. According to mining news website Extractives Daily, projections made in 2013 estimated the project could generate gross revenue of around $62 billion over 23 years, based on commodity prices at the time and excluding development and operating costs, without indicating how much revenue would go to the Kenyan government.
The National Museums of Kenya did not respond to a request for comment on the heritage concerns, the AP reported.