Kenya’s Environment and Land Court has restricted Shanta Gold from undertaking work on privately owned land at its West Kenya Gold Project without the registered owners’ consent.
The order covers prospecting, drilling, clearing, excavation, and other activity on affected properties around the proposed Ramula-Mwibona development in Siaya County.
According to Citizen Digital, the court also directed Kenyan authorities not to approve mining licence application ML/2024/0200 until Shanta has provided documentary evidence of landowner consent and obtained the required statutory approvals.
Authorities must reconsider objections lodged against the proposed development and establish a benefit-sharing framework before a mining licence is issued.
The court directed the relevant government agencies to file a compliance report within six months.
The ruling does not cancel Shanta’s broader West Kenya Project or prohibit activity across all its exploration tenure. It relates to access to affected private land and the licensing process for Ramula-Mwibona.
West Kenya is one of the more advanced proposed large-scale gold developments in Kenya’s relatively small formal mining sector. The project has reported mineral resources of approximately 1.72 million ounces of gold, including 722,000 indicated ounces grading 11.45 grams per tonne.
Shanta completed a Feasibility Study in 2025 and has proposed combining an open-pit operation at Ramula-Mwibona with underground mining at Isulu-Bushiangala. Ore would be treated through a processing plant with capacity of 915,000 tonnes per annum.
Elsewhere in western Kenya, privately held Karebe Gold Mining operates the Rock Cory and Boma mines near Kisumu. These are smaller established operations, while West Kenya has the potential to represent a step up in the scale of Kenya’s formal gold industry.
The project also has links to a major international miner. Shanta acquired the West Kenya portfolio from Barrick Mining (NYSE:B) in 2020, after the ground had previously been explored by Barrick subsidiary Acacia Mining.
Shanta became privately held in 2024 after Saturn Resources, a wholly owned subsidiary of ETC Holdings, completed its acquisition and delisted the company. Shanta also owns the New Luika and Singida gold mines in Tanzania.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Main image: Shanta Gold
