Kenya: Government Told to Ban Exportation of Raw Soapstone

Posted on : Thursday , 10th December 2015

The soapstone carvers in Tabaka area in Kisii County have called on the government to impose a total ban on exportation of uncut soapstone from Kenya.

According to Jared Nyabuto, a soapstone dealer, both the county and national government lose millions of shillings by selling uncut stones to international dealers who eventually sell them at higher prices.

He noted that these dealers later polish the stones and sell them at massive profits at the international soapstone market while the miners languish in poverty.

He urged the government to implement a law that will see all the soapstone mined in Kenya processed and packaged locally.

“We are losing a lot of money through selling raw stones to dealers who polish them and sell them very expensively and it will be beneficial to Kenya if they ban the exportation of raw stones,” he added.

Sources at the mines hinted that some brokers often buy top quality soapstone for as little as Sh500 per kg.

The same stone will fetch over ten times of that amount when cut and polished.

He said that the miners in the region should utilise the facility and urged the government to allocate more mining areas to the residents of the region.