US Targets Kenya in High-Stakes Minerals Power Play After Ksh8.1 Trillion Mrima Hill Tender
The United States has formally set its sights on Kenya in a high-stakes global race for critical minerals, unveiling a multibillion-dollar partnership proposal just months after Nairobi opened a competitive tender for the vast Mrima Hill rare earth deposit.
Speaking at the Kenya Mining Investment Conference and Expo 2026, US Chargé d’Affaires Susan Burns confirmed Washington’s intent to bring Kenya into a newly proposed “preferential trade zone” for critical minerals—an ambitious framework designed to counter market manipulation and secure supply chains.
Her remarks come amid growing geopolitical tension over access to rare earth resources, with global powers scrambling to lock in supplies vital for clean energy, advanced technology, and defence industries.
“Decisions made in forums like this will determine whether African countries capitalise on the tremendous economic value of your mineral wealth, or whether opportunity slips away,” Burns warned delegates.
The proposed trade zone would impose price safeguards and adjustable tariffs aimed at protecting mineral-rich nations from sudden market shocks—a phenomenon Burns said has repeatedly derailed African mining ventures.
She painted a stark picture of a broken global system: “Financing gets arranged, projects are announced, then foreign supply floods the market overnight. Prices collapse, and the investment dies before a single tonne of ore is extracted.”
Washington now claims it is ready to rewrite that script.
According to Burns, the US has already mobilised more than $100 billion (Ksh12.19 trillion) through its Office of Strategic Capital, while drastically cutting mining approval timelines from decades to under a year in some cases. She added that the US government has, for the first time, taken direct equity stakes in mining firms and facilitated over $10 billion in deals, with the Democratic Republic of Congo emerging as a key battleground.
The timing of the US pitch is no coincidence.
On March 27, Kenya’s Ministry of Mining and Blue Economy launched a global tender for the Mrima Hill deposit in Kwale County—widely regarded as one of the most valuable untapped mineral reserves in the world.
Estimated to be worth a staggering Ksh8.1 trillion, Mrima Hill holds vast deposits of niobium and rare earth elements—materials essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and advanced military technologies.
With China expected to be among the bidders, the tender has rapidly evolved into a geopolitical flashpoint, placing Kenya at the centre of an intensifying US-China rivalry.
Burns made it clear that Washington sees Nairobi as a critical ally in this contest.
“Kenya’s leadership in regulatory transparency and investment-friendly policies positions you as a key partner,” she said. “Washington views Kenya as a commercial partner with a governance framework to facilitate responsible mining development.”
As global powers circle Mrima Hill, Kenya now finds itself holding a powerful bargaining chip—one that could redefine its economic future and geopolitical standing.
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