Prof. Hamadi Iddi Boga
P.O. Box 59 Ukunda 80400
hamadiboga@yahoo.com
+254720483136
9th April 2026
HE Fatuma M. Achani
The Governor
Kwale County Government
P.O. Box 4
Kwale
Governor Achani,
RE: Open Letter to H.E. Governor Fatuma Mohammed Achani on the Use of Base Titanium Limited (BTL) Mineral Royalties
Kwale County has been blessed with natural resources that many regions can only dream of. The discovery and extraction of minerals—particularly titanium—has generated significant revenue for our county. In the current financial year alone, Kwale has received approximately KSh 1.16 billion as its share of mineral royalties. This is not ordinary money; it is finite wealth derived from resources that will one day be exhausted. How we use these funds today will determine whether future generations inherit prosperity—or regret.
Yet, from the current budget proposals, it is evident that these royalties are being directed largely toward infrastructure such as roads, dams, and public facilities. These investments matter; however, we must ask a deeper question: will they fundamentally transform the lives of our people?
The reality is that Kwale continues to face high youth unemployment, persistent rural poverty, hunger, water shortage and malnutrition, and weak linkages between our economy and key sectors such as tourism and mining. If we spend mineral royalties in the same way we spend ordinary revenue, we risk losing a historic opportunity.
Around the world, resource-rich regions have adopted a different approach: they treat mineral revenues not as money to spend, but as capital to invest. Kwale must do the same.
First, I propose that Kwale adopts a bold and disciplined strategy. A portion of mineral royalties (40%) should be saved in a Kwale Future Fund, ensuring that, even after the minerals are depleted, the wealth continues to benefit our people. As we explore investments in Mrima (Niobium), Magaoni (Mineral Sands), Magandia (clinker), and Shimoni (cement), among others, this fund can grow and safeguard prosperity for current and future generations.
Second, the remaining royalties should be invested directly in sectors that create jobs and expand the local economy—especially agriculture linked to tourism markets, youth enterprise and small businesses, and local supply chains that serve mining, hospitality, and other county industries.
In addition, royalties must support strategic infrastructure and should not be allocated haphazardly. Infrastructure investments must be purposeful: roads that connect farmers to markets, irrigation systems tied to production, and facilities that support value addition. Building a 2-kilometre stretch of road with no strategic purpose—other than political mileage—is not the right way to invest this finite resource.
My appeal to you is to provide clear guidance and prudent leadership in the budgeting process. This is not merely a budget issue—it is a generational responsibility and you must raise to the occassion. Kwale must take time to plan how these funds will be invested, rather than rushing to deploy them in projects that are not catalytic. I therefore call upon you and the County Government of Kwale to adopt a long-term mineral revenue strategy, the County Assembly to provide strong oversight, and citizens to participate actively in discussions on how mineral royalties will be used.
Let us ensure that when the last mineral is extracted from Kwale soil, what remains is not emptiness, but a thriving, inclusive, and resilient economy.
With kind regards,
Yours faithfully,
Prof. Hamadi Iddi Boga
CC:
Hon. Seth Mwatela Kamanza – Speaker of the Kwale County Assembly
Members of the County Assembly
The People of Kwale
@Fatuma Achani
Seth Mwatela Kamanza @highlight
