Kenya is among 37 African countries that have fallen under the second phase of British control, a new report has indicated.
In The New Colonialism: Britain’s Scramble for Africa’s Energy and Mineral Resources (Reference), the authors of the report found that the UK government had coerced Kenya and other African government into handing over lucrative oil and mineral licenses to British companies.
The authors of the report published by British charity War on Want reviewed energy and mining companies listed in the London Stock Exchange and found that 101 companies controlled the bulk of Africa’s most valuable resources.
“As before, the new colonialism is driven by a determination to plunder the natural resources of Africa, especially strategic energy and mineral resources,” says the report.
In Kenya, eight British companies were found to have the most lucrative licenses in mining and energy.
Kenya’s gold deposits in the most prospective areas are in the hands of three companies. Acacial Mining PLC jointly with Lonmin and AfriOre International hold the license to explore Ndori Greenstone Belt in Western Kenya in area of 2208 square kilometres. Ndori which is in Homa Bay county is a gold rich area and locals have invested in small scale gold mining.
Red Rock Resources, which operates in Kenya through Mid Migori Mining Company, has 75 percent interest in the Migori gold belt in Migori County which has 1.2 million ounces. Just like in Homa Bay, locals in the county are engaged in small scale gold mining.
Lonmin PLC, on whose orders South Africa police killed 34 of its mine workers and injured 78 others four years ago, also has a huge stake in Kenya’s mining. The company owns stakes in all the gold mining blocks in Western Kenya (Migori, Homa Bay and Kakamega.) it also has the license for cooper, silver and zinc.
Goldplat PLC which operates in Kenya as Kilimapesa operates the only licensed gold mine in Kenya which contains 671, 446 ounces of gold.
In energy, like in mining, British companies have the most prospective oil blocks. Tullow Oil which was the first to strike oil in Kenya has controlling interest in 5 onshore oil blocks in the west and northwest which are being developed as the company’s key exploration activity; they contain 600 million barrels of oil and cover 52,531 square kilometres.
British Gas Group owns 100 percent of two offshore gas exploration blocks (L10A and L10B) while Ophir Energy has a 100 percent interest in oil exploration block L9 offshore. Premier Oil has a 55 percent interest in oil exploration block 2B in North Eastern region.
Bowleven Plc has a 50 percent interest (with Adamantine Energy) in early stage oil exploration in Block 11B in the Turkana district of the north-west, an area covering 14,000 square kilometres.
African oil, gas and minerals worth over Sh101 trillion are in the control of the 101 companies.
The report notes the British control on the resources is a result of aggressive push by UK government for its former colonies to adopt economic and trade policies that favour its companies.
“UK’s trade and investment policies are enabling British companies to access and control African resources. British governments, whether Conservative or Labour, have long been fierce advocates of liberalised trade and investment regimes in Africa that provide access to markets for foreign companies.
They have also consistently opposed African countries putting up regulatory or protectionist barriers to such trade and investment. In addition, Britain has been a major advocate for policies promoting low corporate taxes in Africa, including in the extractives sector,” says the report which was published in July.
i have never understood Africa, giving the same people who exploited your resources a second chance. i would like to know the stipulation of these contracts.
We should be thinking of ways to get rid of them as soon as possible.
The cooperative sector has enough liquidity (about US $ 6 b) to undertake all these ventures without a penny from foreign sources….And, as Pres. Mugabe says, these minerals are not perishable…. they can stay underground till we can use mine and process them on our own.
What is the point of rushing to get, say, 10 % of sh 1 trillion while a 10-year preparatory wait would give, say, 70 % of the same trillion adjusted for value?
African leaders are just but puppets who are being used by Western colonializers to loot our natural resources. Thomas Sankara,Gadafi,Lumumba was the true pan africanist. to hell with the likes of Kenyatta’s,musevenis and other greedy leaders.
I wonder who rules The British?
Good question? Who is that?
Haha, good question Jay. Good question.
Why Kenyans are very poor if we have all natural resources that can make all Kenyans have a better living.?puting bad leadership to govern the nation is the major reason why Kenyans are living at the center of the poverty line,god help Kenyans,
My husband and his brother and sister were all born in Kenya in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s.
Would they now be eligible for British Citizenship?
The fake leaders handle national natural resources like a private business what do we expect, ?? Africa is on the table and every Dick and Harry wants a bite.. can’t they leave us alone? ? enough of the white supremacy. ..
Has anyone tried standing up to the men who control African leaders? They don’t even let you speak. They rudely interrupt you and beat you into submission.
I’m from marsabit