Kenya to Award Mrima Hill Mining Contract Within Three Weeks
Mining Minister Hassan Ali Joho is evaluating five consortia to develop the Mrima Hill critical minerals deposit after two Chinese firms withdrew from the process.
Kenya's Ministry of Mining is evaluating five consortia competing to develop the Mrima Hill critical minerals deposit in southern Kenya. The site is estimated to contain tens of billions of dollars in niobium and rare earth minerals. Hassan Ali Joho, the Mining Minister, announced that the government will award the contract to a successful bidder within the next three weeks.
The current bidders include two US consortia, Meridian Mineral Holdings and Frontier Minerals LLC, as well as a US-affiliated group led by Critical Metals Corp. Other contenders include an Australian partnership between RareX and Iluka Resources and a Kenyan-British joint venture known as Gem of Dreams. This selection process follows the withdrawal of two Chinese firms, the Hunan Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals and Jinan Yuxiao Group Co. Ltd.
Minister Joho stated that the government has faced no external pressure from Washington or Beijing regarding the tender. The project supports Kenya's goal of domestic resource processing and aligns with United States administration efforts to secure critical mineral supply chains.
