• Kenya currently has 63 Petroleum Exploration Blocks.
• 40 Blocks are open for investors

The process is outlined in the Petroleum Act 2019 as follows:

1. Direct application to Cabinet Secretary
2. Licensing Rounds through advertisement

Licensing of Petro Stations is done by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

To do mining you need to apply for either a mining permit for a small scale operation or a mining licence for a large scale operation. Application is done online through the mining cadaster portal but first you need to be registered as a user. After registration you will be able to log in the cadaster system and follow prompts to complete your application.

The Mining Act, 2016 gives a 90 days period for a complete application. However, the period can be extended if the application is incomplete  and additional requirements are requested

There is a non refundable application fee of KShs.50,000 and annual rent of KShs.2000 per hectare but subject to a minimum of KShs.500,000 for large scale mining licence. A mining permit has a nonrefundable application fee of KShs.1,000 and annual fee of KShs.10,000. There are also stamp duty fees charged by Ministry of Lands at the issue of the licence which varies with the size of the licence.

Yes. You require to have a mineral dealing licence or permit to trade or do business in minerals. A mineral dealing permit only allows one to do mineral business within Kenya but it is not eligible for exports. The Mineral dealings licence is restricted to categories of minerals such precious metals groups, construction and industrial, gemstones and base metals. For each category you need a licence/pemit. A dealing licence \permit is valid for a calendar year. The licence is KSHs20,000 and permit KShs2,000

You don’t need a permit to import minerals into the country, however, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), may request you to get a letter of no objection from the Ministry of Mining. The letter is issued on application.

Yes. The Mining law provides that international companies must employ Kenyans who are suitably qualified for roles before seeking expatriates. And in the instance where some skills are not available locally, the Companies must train Kenyans for those roles

Yes. The Mining law provides that the companies must first source Kenyan goods and services before sourcing the same from overseas

The mining law has set up several mechanisms through which Kenyans can enjoy direct benefits from minerals. For every sale of minerals a proportion of the value of the mineral is paid to the government as mineral royalty which is shared between the national and county  governments, and mining communities in the ratio of 70:20:10 respectively. Further, large scale mining operations will pay 1% of their gross annual sales to social projects for mining communities through the Community Development Agreement (CDA). Employment and business opportunities are reserved for Kenyans under the local content regulations.