The mines of fluorspar in Kimwarer in Elgeyo Marakwet County are expected to resume operations soon as a result of a contract a UK mining company has made with the national government. Initially, the Kenya Fluorspar Company used to do the mining at Kimwarer. However, in 2009, it began shutting its doors due to dwindling global fluorspar prices before reopening in June 2010, ultimately halting the mining operations permanently after merely five years in 2015, leading to hundreds losing their jobs. At the peak of mining operations, Kenya was producing 120,000 tonnes of fluorspar annually compared to South Africa’s 300,000 tonnes and Morocco’s 100,000 tonnes. The Fujax Company UK has been given a lease of 25 years to operate the mines as the land still remains the government’s.
