Kenya’s industrialisation dreams could soon become a reality following the discovery of commercial quantities of coal in Eastern Kenya, which could be extracted for exports, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said Tuesday.
Kenyan authorities have been exploring for coal deposits in the country’s arid eastern region for the past 10 years with the Ministry of Energy unable to confirm whether there are adequate coal deposits in the Mui basin in Mwingi district.
Musyoka said the ministry had discovered commercial quantities of coal which could be consumed locally and internationally, once new investments have been put into the region’s infrastructure to allow the export of the coal.
China, he said, was willing to build a railway line from the coastal city of Lamu, through to South Sudan via Mwingi to facilitate the transportation of the coal from the region.
Musyoka, who was speaking in Mwingi, his home district, said initial exploration of the coal deposits had determined adequate quantities were available in the Mui basin.
He said the Ministry of Energy would expedite the extraction of the mineral, used in the heating tunnels to produce industrial goods. Most firms which operate in Kenya are importers of coal, mostly obtained from Southern African states.
“Once all these projects are completed, the country will benefit from all areas of energy supply, employment, foreign exchange as well as the realisation of turning the country into an industrialized one,” Musyoka said. Panapress .
