Mining and SDGs in Kenya

A look into Sustainable Development in the Mining Sector

By Environmental Governance Programme (EGP)

By Linda Olango and Shanice Obongo*

Kenya, famous for its beautiful beaches, fascinating wildlife and athletic prowess, is also richly endowed with various minerals such as gold, titanium, and limestone. While mining these resources is economically logical, mining has a double-edged effect on the environment and socio-economic development. It can positively and negatively impact the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Base Titanium, located in Kwale County in Kenya's coast, is the nation’s largest mineral sands mine, and a flagship project under the Kenya Vision 2030 development programme. Dr Nick Okello, the environmental manager for Base Titanium, acknowledged the mining company's pivotal role in achieving the SDGs. "We have done much work that is compatible with the SDGs", he says. "However, there is still more effort needed to translate the SDGs to the mines and ensure environmental protection of the community". It is clear that packaging the SDGs is not enough. Dr Okello believes there is a need for a dialogue between mining stakeholders stemming from a periodic sustainability audit. "The SDGs should serve as an auditing and reporting tool", he adds.

Workshop in Kwale about "Environmental Governance of the Mining Sector: Putting Policies in Practice". Photo: UNDP Kenya/Joyous Begisen

"In a widely informal mining sector, it is not easy to get data", says Viola Tarus, the Policy Advisor for Tax and Extractives at the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF). "It is hard to get information on how it contributes to the GDP, let alone quantify its impact on the SDGs". This statement sums up the nexus between the SDGs and the Kenyan mining sector, or the lack thereof.

According to an SDGs policy gaps analysis done in 2018, Kenya Vision 2030 addresses, directly or indirectly, most of the UN Global 2030 Agenda. Despite this seeming success, the mining industry remains one of the sectors not mapped and aligned with the development targets and indicators. According to Viola, this is because the garnering of such information is not a priority. "It is the government's responsibility to build the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) capacity to collect quality and reliable data", she says. "Sustainability cannot be quantified, more so achieved without outlining the mining sector's role in attaining the SDGs".

Saleh Timothy Mukhoshi, the Kakamega County artisan miners' chairman, has a passion for leveraging partnerships for development, aligning with SDG 17 on Partnership for the Goals. When asked about the SDGs' impact in his workspace, he attests that his community has seen substantial growth through access to education and miners' and community members' normative and behavioural changes. He says that "people are finally beginning to see mining as a decent livelihood equal to other career paths", and the realisation of the SDGs will help scale their mining business sustainably. He admits that very few artisanal miners are informed about the development goals. "I need logistical facilitation from the government and civil society to raise awareness of the SDGs to all the members of the 87 mining groups in Kakamega and Vihiga counties and beyond".

Mr Mukhoshi also acknowledges that it is challenging to assess artisanal mining's actual contribution to national economic growth and sustainable development. He explains that this is due to lack of access to modern tools and equipment resulting in artisanal miners recovering a fraction of the targeted minerals. He adds that the slow formalisation process of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) and exclusion from the national statistics is a contributing factor.

While Kenya is not yet a member of the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI), Ms Tarus from the IGF reiterates the importance of a mining sector's transparency in mainstreaming the SDGs. There should be a transparent allocation of roles and responsibilities for the contributors and enforcers of the mining sector's sustainable development, from the governance level to the actual mines.

She adds that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing automation of industries present the Kenyan government with an opportunity to improve their data collection and management, which would be essential in advancing sustainable mining practices in this untapped industry.

The 17 SDG targets are interdependent, interconnected and indivisible. A clear and concise mapping of the SDGs and the Kenyan mining sector's role in attaining them is critical. Achieving the goals requires a degree of intentionality that the government can best guide in partnership with all the mining stakeholders: the employees, the contractors, business partners and the mining community.

Some challenges require immediate action. For instance, ASM's formalisation in Kenya is a critical pathway to realise its full development potential. Moreover, the speedy creation of the data collection and sustainability reporting process is imperative. Finally, spreading awareness of the SDGs in the sector remains paramount through highlighting each SDG and its importance at each step of the mining cycle, one mining community at a time.

Yusuf Kanote Huka, miner in Taita Taveta County. Photo: UNDP Kenya/ Allan Gichigi

* Prepared by the Young Environmental Journalists: Linda Olango and Shanice Obongo; copyedited by Jess Chua (UNV).

The Young Environmental Journalists campaign aims at raising awareness and fostering youth engagement in environmental and human rights protection in the mining sector in four resource-rich countries: Colombia, Kenya, Mongolia and Mozambique.

This initiative is organized by the joint Swedish Environmental Protection Agency – UNDP Environmental Governance Programme (EGP) in collaboration with the United Nations Volunteers’ online volunteering service and the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this story are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the United Nations, including UNDP or the UN Member States.

A rural scene outside of Nairobi, Kenya of a terraced hillside allowing farmers to conserve water during a drought and prevent soil erosion. Photo: iStock.com/SimplyCreativePhotography

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