Mrima Hill: The $60 Billion Opportunity Kenya Cannot Afford to Waste



Mrima Hill in Kwale County has quietly sat for centuries as a sacred and culturally significant site for the surrounding Digo community. But beneath this spiritual landscape lies one of the most valuable mineral deposits in modern times: rare earth minerals.

Rare earths are a group of 17 elements essential to the technologies that drive the global economy today—electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, smartphones, advanced military equipment, and nearly every green-energy innovation on the planet. The world cannot transition to clean energy or maintain high-tech manufacturing without them.

And Kenya is sitting on a hill packed with them.

Recent geological studies estimate that Mrima Hill holds rare earth minerals valued at nearly USD 60 billion. That figure is close to half the size of Kenya’s entire GDP. In Kenyan shillings, that is roughly KSh 9.3 trillion—money that could transform not just the coast, but the country at large.

Currently, an Australian consortium has been granted rights to further explore and potentially develop the site. This could be the start of something big—if handled strategically.

Because Africa’s story with minerals has always been the same: vast underground wealth, exported cheaply in raw form, leaving communities poorer and the environment destroyed. From copper in the DRC to oil in Nigeria, to gold in Tanzania, the script repeats itself. Billions leave; tokens stay. Local people suffer. Foreign companies thrive.

We must not allow Mrima Hill to become yet another chapter in that book.

 

Why Is Mrima Hill a Big Deal?

Beyond its economic potential, Mrima Hill carries deep cultural and spiritual meaning for the local Digo community. Any development must respect the historical significance of the land and ensure that the people who have protected this hill for generations are the first beneficiaries, not victims of prosperity.

But equally important is what rare earths represent globally: strategic power. Countries like China, the US, Japan, and South Korea are racing to secure rare earth supply chains. Kenya has a chance to insert itself into a global industry worth trillions of shillings in future economic value.

 


One thing we must not ignore: value addition.

If Kenya exports Mrima Hill’s rare earths in raw form, we will lose over 95% of potential value. It will be a repeat of the story that has held Africa back for 100 years.

Value addition is non-negotiable!

We must process, refine, and finish these minerals within Kenya so that we capture:

    • Manufacturing jobs
    • Industrial growth
    • Technology transfer
    • Higher tax revenue
    • Skills development
    • Downstream industries

Malaysia learned this early. They banned the export of raw materials essential in battery manufacturing, forcing global companies to set up processing and manufacturing facilities locally. Today, Malaysia is a global exporter of high-value battery components. Kenya must do the same.

 

So, what should Kenya do? Practical strategies

1. Enforce strong contracts with a 50–50 revenue-sharing model

Not symbolic agreements—real, enforceable timelines, commitments, audits, and penalties.
Kenya must sit at the table as an equal, not a spectator.

2. Ban or heavily restrict raw mineral exports

If we allow raw minerals to leave the country, we lose the entire value chain instantly.
A ban forces companies to build processing plants in Kenya.

This creates:

  • Thousands of jobs
  • New engineering and chemical industries
  • Local expertise
  • Supply chains that feed into global tech manufacturing

3. Build a Rare Earth Industrial Zone in Kwale

Tie the mine to:

  • Processing facilities
  • Research labs
  • Specialized training institutions (TVET & university partnerships)
  • Export-oriented manufacturing hubs

The coastal region could become East Africa’s first high-tech industrial cluster.

4. Environmental protection as a core condition

Rare earth mining can be destructive. Kenya must insist on:

  • Environmental bonds
  • Strict rehabilitation plans
  • Independent monitoring
  • Full transparency

Communities must not bear the cost of development

Direct community royalties and ownership

   A percentage of revenues should be legally ring-fenced for:

    • Local infrastructure
    • Health facilities
    • Water projects
    • Education and youth skills development
    • Cultural preservation

The people of Kwale must be real shareholders—not passive spectators.

 


The Impact on Kenya’s Future

If managed well, rare earth minerals can:

    • Pay off Kenya’s public debt significantly
    • Strengthen the Kenyan shilling
    • Boost exports
    • Fund universal healthcare
    • Improve our education system
    • Reduce unemployment by creating a new industrial workforce
    • Position Kenya as a global supplier of high-value minerals and green technology inputs

We must end history repeating.

We have all seen what happens when Africa’s minerals leave the continent unprocessed: international companies profit, countries lose value, and communities are left with nothing but polluted land.

Mrima Hill gives us a chance to rewrite that story.

Kenya has the leverage, the legal tools, and the national interest to demand real gains—not tokens. We should treat Mrima Hill not just as a mining site but as a national strategic asset capable of changing the economic direction of the entire country.

The world needs rare earth minerals,
Kenya has them,
And this time, we must ensure Kenya gain significantly. 

 

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