Gachagua blows whistle on alleged Sh8.2trillion Mrima Hills mineral deal
Addressing Kenyans in Kansas City on Saturday, September 19, Gachagua claimed the deposits were worth about Sh8.2 trillion and alleged that the president’s “real mission” in the US was to conclude an agreement with an American company.
Impeached Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of using his United States trip to pursue a multi-trillion-shilling deal involving Kenya’s niobium and rare-earth deposits at Mrima Hills in Kwale County.
Gachagua alleged that Ruto’s attendance at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York was being used as a cover for negotiations with American investors over the exploitation of the strategic mineral deposits.
Addressing Kenyans in Kansas City on Saturday, September 19, Gachagua claimed the deposits were worth about Sh8.2 trillion and alleged that the president’s “real mission” in the US was to conclude an agreement with an American company.
“William Ruto is in the air on his way to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA. But that is not his mission. That is just a camouflage. He will go there, take a few pictures, give a few speeches, and meet a few presidents and others,” Gachagua said.
He added: “His real mission in the United States is to come and seal a deal with Americans on how niobium will be exploited from Kenya.”
Gachagua further alleged that the proposed arrangement would disadvantage Kenyans while benefiting foreign interests and individuals close to the President.
He claimed representatives of an American company had visited Kenya about four weeks earlier and signed an agreement with what he described as a proxy of the President, with Ruto now travelling to the US to conclude the arrangement.
Gachagua also threatened legal action, saying he would consult lawyers over the proposed exploitation of the deposits.
“We will not allow William Ruto to sell our mineral deposits from Mrima Hills,” he said, adding that niobium was important to electric vehicles and advanced technology.
The allegations come as Kenya moves ahead with a competitive tender for the development of the Mrima Hill niobium and rare-earth project.
The Ministry of Mining and Blue Economy headed by Cabinet Secretary Ali Hassan Joho issued a request for expressions of interest in April, with the process intended to award mineral rights through a public tender.
Recent reports indicate that several companies have advanced through the competitive process, including US-linked and Australian interests.
Critical Metals Corp announced in July that its consortium had reached the final round of the Government of Kenya tender, while the RareX-Iluka consortium also said it had been shortlisted.
The development has also attracted growing American interest as Washington seeks closer cooperation with Kenya over critical minerals and local processing.
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia said earlier this month that American companies were ready to partner with Kenya in developing local mineral-processing capacity, creating jobs and strengthening supply chains.
Reuters had reported that the US-backed approach includes processing and value addition in Kenya rather than simply exporting raw minerals.
However, Gachagua’s claims of a completed or imminent deal involving Ruto contrast with statements from Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho that the Mrima Hills project remained at a preliminary stage.
Joho has previously said that no investor had been identified, no mining licence had been issued and no agreement had been signed concerning the project.
The Mrima Hill deposits have nevertheless emerged as a strategic economic and geopolitical asset, with government estimates indicating substantial quantities of niobium and rare-earth elements.
Official project documents describe the deposits as strategic minerals and say their development is subject to Kenya’s mining laws and competitive tendering regulations.
Gachagua has now turned the mineral project into another political battleground with Ruto, warning that Kenyans must remain vigilant over the proposed exploitation of the deposits.
His latest intervention also comes as he tours the United States seeking to rally Kenyans in the diaspora around opposition unity ahead of the 2027 General Election.
During the Kansas City engagement, the DCP leader maintained that efforts to divide opposition leaders had so far failed and reiterated his commitment to building a united political front against the Ruto administration.
The Mrima Hills controversy places Kenya’s emerging critical-minerals industry at the intersection of economic opportunity, foreign investment and an increasingly heated political contest over control of the country’s strategic resources.
By the time of going to broadcast, neither Government Spokesperson Charles Owino nor State House Spokesman Hussein Mohammed had responded to Gachagua’s claims.
