Strategic Entry Partner
Kenya Mining Sector

Access reconfigured mineral territories through aligned government pathways following Kenya's comprehensive geological remapping.

Start Mandate Intake Understand the Shift
0.7% -> 10%
Mining share of GDP, 2030 target
US$137M
Committed gold capex 2024-25
970
Anomalies under ground-truthing
Mineral sands logistics corridor in coastal Kenya

What Shifted

A systematic transformation of Kenya's mining landscape through geological intelligence and regulatory restructuring.

2018—2023

Geological Remapping

Comprehensive airborne geophysical survey. 600,000 km² mapped. Military-grade sensors deployed. 970 new mineral occurrences identified.

2019—2024

Strategic Pause

Four-year licensing moratorium. Framework reconstruction. 14 minerals designated strategic. NAMICO structure defined.

2024—Present

Window Open

Moratorium lifted. 400+ applications processing. First movers securing strategic ground. Governance pathways clarified.

The Implication

You are not entering a mature market. You are entering a reconfiguration. The geological map has been redrawn. The regulatory framework has been restructured. This convergence sets a finite allocation cycle—decisions taken in 2025 establish the decade ahead.

Kenya Mineral Scene 2025

Disciplined investors are re-entering a sector that now runs on current data, structured governance and defined capital programs. The brief below frames the terrain before we position capital and technical teams.

Exploration Pipeline

  • 970 anomalies mapped by the national airborne survey, with ground teams deployed across 24 counties to confirm grade and tonnage before the mineral map is published.
  • Critical mineral corridors led by Mrima Hill rare earths and niobium are progressing through resource-definition JVs (Iluka / RareX) to anchor future offtake.
  • Field validation is prioritising lithium, graphite and copper belts for compliant resource statements under JORC / NI 43-101 standards.

Licensing & Governance

  • The 2019–2024 licensing moratorium has been lifted, reopening the online cadastre with Mineral Rights Board oversight and clarified NAMICO participation protocols.
  • 1,546 non-compliant licences were revoked; enforcement teams are aligned with the mining police unit to keep the register bankable.
  • The September 2025 High Court ruling nullified the 2024 regulations suite, reaffirming mandatory public participation and transparency in any new framework.

Investment Commitments

  • Jialin East Africa Mining and Sinohydro signed the Sokoke titanium MoU, targeting first ore by December with state-backed infrastructure support.
  • Shanta Gold is advancing a US$137 million open-pit program in Siaya and Vihiga, with structured royalties, CDA flows and a Mineral Development Levy.
  • Soy-Fujax’s fluorspar restart gives the state a 15% carried interest, signalling preference for equity-aligned strategic partners.

Capital Stack & Offtake

  • Gold royalties cut from 5% to 3% and CDA rules formalise a 1% revenue share to host communities—both factored into financial models.
  • Mineral Rights Board is leaning on co-funded development to lift GDP contribution from 0.7% toward the 10% 2030 goal.
  • Structured offtake and processing incentives (Kakamega gold refinery, granite finishing) underpin in-country beneficiation economics.

Infrastructure & Logistics

  • SGR freight, Mombasa port integration and LAPSSET corridors are mapped against export timelines, with security mitigations baked into logistics plans.
  • Grid and water access are negotiated alongside licence awards to compress time from resource to execution.
  • Value addition hubs (Voi Gemstone Centre, regional processing nodes) support downstream processing commitments.

ESG & ASM Alignment

  • 200+ artisanal cooperatives now operate under County Artisanal Mining Committees, bringing circa 250,000 miners into formal value chains.
  • Dedicated mining police and compliance sweeps align reputational risk management with IFC and Equator compliance.
  • Mandatory CDAs and rehabilitation guarantees are standard in Magarini structuring for brownfield and greenfield mandates.
Drill rigs operating on Kenyan exploration campaign

On-the-ground execution

Sequencing exploration, infrastructure and approvals in one programme cadence.

Magarini Mining orchestrates multi-disciplinary workstreams—drilling, stakeholder engagement, grid allocation and logistics—to shorten time to decision for institutional capital.

Who Qualifies

Engagement is selective. We work with entities that have the capacity and sophistication to navigate strategic mineral development.

Institutional Developers

Full-spectrum operators with build–operate–optimise credentials across African jurisdictions and disciplined governance track records.

  • • Deliver integrated mine design, construction and ramp-up execution.
  • • Maintain JORC / NI 43-101 compliance for resource-to-reserve conversion.
  • • Embed ESG and community agreements alongside production lift.

Sovereign & Public Mandates

State-aligned funds and DFIs securing strategic offtake while advancing beneficiation and industrial policy objectives.

  • • Engage through NAMICO and multi-county alignment frameworks.
  • • Co-invest in enabling infrastructure, skills and localisation programmes.
  • • Steward long-cycle assets with transparent governance cadence.

Tiered Private Capital

Specialist funds and strategic industrials blending equity, credit and offtake structures to accelerate late-exploration and brownfield pipelines.

  • • Deploy flexible capital matched to feasibility and construction phases.
  • • Underwrite returns with disciplined risk dashboards and contingency planning.
  • • Support downstream value-add and community legacy programmes.

Mandate Philosophy

We do not position assets. We position investors at the correct altitude to act.

Magarini leads investors who understand timing.

Portfolio Architecture

Strategic Categories

Three distinct pathways for mineral development in the reconfigured landscape.

A
Category A

Strategic Minerals

Requiring state alignment through NAMICO partnership structure.

• Rare earth elements – Mrima Hill JV advancing resource definition
• Niobium – Co-developed with strategic partners under NAMICO protocols
• Lithium – Ground-truthing active for compliant resource statements
• Graphite – Priority belts scheduled for 2025 drilling campaigns
• Uranium – State oversight retained for strategic approvals
• Copper – Integrated with coastal export corridors for offtake
B
Category B

Non-Strategic Minerals

Direct engagement with private license holders available.

• Gold – Shanta West Kenya program locked in at US$137M capex
• Titanium – Sokoke project mobilising with Sinohydro partnership
• Manganese – Offtake corridors secured through coastal infrastructure
• Iron ore – County alignment for power and water integration
• Gemstones – Voi Centre operational for cutting and trading
• Industrial minerals – Fluorspar restart with 15% state carried interest
C
Category C

Infrastructure Access

Critical logistics and export corridor alignment.

• Mombasa port integration – export slots synchronised with coastal terminals
• SGR freight access – bulk haulage costed into DFS models
• Power grid connectivity – PPAs negotiated alongside licence issuance
• County alignments – County mining committees embedded in stakeholder plans
• Water resources – Abstraction planning tied to ESG commitments
• Community frameworks – CDAs and grievance protocols standardised

Case Signals

Selected engagements demonstrate pathway execution capability without compromising confidentiality.

Recent Engagements

Strategic Mineral JV Structuring

Mrima Hill rare earth consolidation

Scoped equity alignment between Iluka, RareX and state shareholders, securing NAMICO protocols and offtake readiness.

Gold Capital Advisory

West Kenya open-pit program

Optimised Shanta Gold’s US$137 million capital stack with CDA commitments, levy modelling and community grievance frameworks.

Industrial Mineral Stakeholder Reset

Kerio Valley fluorspar restart

Negotiated Soy-Fujax partnership with 15% state carried interest and county benefit agreements for mine relaunch.

Titanium Project Enablement

Sokoke corridor development

Coordinated infrastructure and permitting schedule for Jialin / Sinohydro joint venture ahead of December 2025 first ore target.

Performance Indicators

Government Pathway Clearance Consistent
Time to Initial Approvals Accelerated
Stakeholder Alignment Parallel
Capital Deployment Efficiency Optimised
Project Finance Readiness Structured
ESG Compliance Trajectory Verified

Mandate Intake

Engagement opens to qualified parties following a structured disclosure of capital profile, operational scope and ESG posture.

Initial triage within 72 hours.
Cleared parties receive the full engagement framework and next-step coordination call.

Mandate Intake Profile

Submission constitutes agreement to confidential assessment. Qualified parties will receive engagement framework within 72 hours.