Hassan Joho’s High-Stakes Mining Reform: Can the “Sultan” Tame Kenya’s Wild Coast Extractives?

By National Political Correspondent

Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Ali Joho is confronting one of the most politically perilous assignments of his career: reforming Kenya’s extractive sector in the Coast region and beyond. The former Mombasa governor—known locally as the “Sultan”—has deployed a blend of incentives and enforcement in an attempt to formalise a chaotic industry long dominated by opaque deals and entrenched interests. 

Joho, appointed by President William Ruto in mid-2024 to lead the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, has made mining reform central to his portfolio, signalling a shift toward transparency, competitive processes and community benefit sharing. 

Carrots and Sticks: A Two-Pronged Strategy

At the heart of Joho’s approach is a mix of regulatory tightening and stakeholder incentives. During a consultative meeting in Kwale County, Joho stressed that proposed projects such as the Mrima Hills rare earths development will follow a transparent tender process to ensure “maximum benefit for the people of Kwale and the nation at large.” 

This emphasis on open competition is intended to counter decades of opaque deal-making and has been welcomed by some community leaders and local representatives. Different minerals—ranging from titanium at Kwale’s titanium mine to rich iron ore deposits in Taita Taveta County—hold enormous potential for revenue generation and industrial linkage. 

However, Joho’s enforcement measures have also drawn sharp reactions. The ministry has moved to tighten compliance, and critics argue elements of the extractive sector remain resistant to change. 

Political and Economic Stakes

For Joho, reform is deeply political as well as economic. A successful overhaul could anchor his influence in the Coast—transforming him from a regional figure into a national contender. But the stakes are high: critics within political circles have accused him of being too close to foreign investors or too slow in yielding quick wins for local communities. 

The extractive sector’s massive potential—estimated by some industry observers in the trillions of shillings, especially in rare earth and strategic mineral segments—creates both opportunity and pressure. 

Resistance from Established Interests

Entrenched interests, including informal mining networks, middlemen and local power brokers with long-standing permit portfolios, have pushed back. According to contemporary reporting, Joho’s agenda faces significant opposition in the Coast, where various stakeholders have used legal challenges and political manoeuvres to slow reform momentum. 

This resistance reflects broader challenges in Kenya’s extractive sector: weak enforcement has historically enabled unregulated operations that hinder community benefit realisation and degrade environments—a pattern seen in artisanal and small-scale mining across the country. 

Community Benefits and Broader Reform Goals

Despite the pushback, Joho’s ministry has emphasised community integration and benefit sharing. Earlier initiatives, such as calls for compensation for affected residents in mining areas, have demonstrated the government’s intent to tether mining to local development outcomes. 

Moreover, the Koastal mining reform effort comes amid wider policy discussions about Kenya’s mineral sector, which analysts say must expand beyond raw mineral exports toward value addition and industrial linkages—including logistics and maritime integration for minerals such as iron ore. 

From Vision to Implementation

Joho’s reform blueprint seeks to confront a sector that has historically contributed less than its economic potential despite rich mineral deposits. Industry observers see greater transparency and competitive tendering as critical first steps. 

Yet the real test lies downstream: delivering tangible benefits to ordinary communities long excluded from the wealth generated beneath their feet. The coming months will reveal whether the “carrots and sticks” of Joho’s strategy can break the status quo and translate mineral wealth into meaningful development—or whether entrenched resistance will blunt his ambitions.