Kenya is poised for a historic re-entry into the lucrative international fluorspar market by June this year after confirmatory findings of millions of tons of high-grade, commercially viable fluorspar deposits in the Kimwarer area in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
The geological data from exploratory works by Sofax Fluorspar, the investor, indicated potential for hundreds of millions of tons of fluorspar mineral with confirmed commercially viable resources estimated to be at least 18 million tons.
The Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Department for Mining, Elijah Mwangi, stated that Kenya was determined to reclaim her slot as a leading fluorspar producer in Africa, joining the league of the continent's prime exporters, including South Africa and Morocco.
Speaking during an inspection tour at the Fluorspar Processing Plant to assess the progress of revival of the facility, the PS noted that the repair works for revamping and rehabilitating the fluorspar processing plant were being accelerated to fast-track Kenya's commencement in the exportation of the mineral to allow the country to reap from the surging global demand for the product. "We want to expedite the revival of this facility and allow Kenya to reclaim her slot as a leading exporter of fluorspar to the international mineral market.