In 2013, under the auspices of the UNDP Global Programme for Extractive Industries and the UNDP Regional Africa Programme for Extractive Industries, UNDP Kenya developed the “Extractive Industries for Sustainable Human Development” project.  The project aims to improve the lives of people living in areas endowed with natural resources by improving governance, economic empowerment, promoting peace and environmental sustainability. The overall expected outcome of this project is to ensure that the extractive sectors in Kenya are governed in a more participatory, equitable and sustainable way to ensure that they contribute to peace and sustainable human development. The outputs are:

a)  Participatory decision making established to institute representation of communities in decisions on extractive industries and safeguard their rights and militate against growing tension between communities and investors.

b)  Public institutions, the private sector and civil society have systems to ensure transparent, accountable and inclusive management of revenue from extractive industries.

c)  Legal, policy framework and institutional capacity is in place to effectively support sustainable management of the extractive sector.

UNDP has supported the Ministry of Mining in setting up the policy, legislative framework and building institutional capacity. One of the key achievements is the enactment of the mining Act 2016 has been described by international mining experts and lawyers as the most progressive Mining Law in Africa replaces the archaic Cap 306 Mining Law which governed the mining sector in Kenya for the past seventy-six years.

The new mining law is expected to tremendously transform the governance architecture of the Mining sector in Kenya and usher a transparent, objective predictable fiscal regime and management of the mineral rights & concessions.