The Kenyan government in its 20-year development plan seeks to develop the mining sector in a bid to increase its contribution to the national GDP from 0.8% in 2015 to 10% by 2030 as stipulated in the Mineral and Mining Policy (2016). However, progress has been hampered by the unsustainable ASM practices, top-down policy frameworks and governmental bureaucracies that have failed to give the miners voice and agency in mineral resources governance.

To address these challenges, a Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue Forum (MSDF) was established in October 2020 (as a GCRF legacy initiative), where mining stakeholders convene to negotiate, construct, and engage in the change initiatives. They co-produced the Taita Taveta Sustainable Mining Action Plan 2021-2025 (TT-SMAP) which has been endorsed by the Taita Taveta County Government as the blueprint for sustainable mining development in the County. All mining and policy stakeholders, under the leadership of the MSDF Secretariat, are expected to implement elements of the Action Plan.

The project supports the government efforts as envisioned in the new Mining Act 2016 by promoting alterative collective approaches necessary to engage mining stakeholders meaningfully in mining governance. It will further strengthen collaborative action mobilised through the Taita Taveta MSDF which is an important collaboration platform for leading the activities set in the Action Plan which are designed along five thematic clusters: i) economic development; ii) social development; iii) clean energy, infrastructure and sustainable communities; iv) environmental stewardship; and iv) governance and partnerships.

A policy brief (provide link) and the monitoring and implementation framework (link to workshop news) are strengthening the MSDF Secretariat’s capacity for better monitoring and reporting of progress in the ASM sector. This will further bring scrutiny and accountability for equitable and effective implementation of the Action Plan and improve the quality and the outcomes of the MSDF decision-making process. Engaging a wider pool of stakeholders and development partners in the sustainable change process will leverage more resources, and lead to a negotiated implementation process thus creating a better sense of ownership and responsibility towards specific actions and interventions.