Kenya experienced a 4.3% decline in the value of mineral production, dropping from Ksh 35.2 billion in 2022 to Ksh 33.7 billion in 2023. This decrease was primarily driven by a significant drop in the value of titanium ores, which fell by over Ksh 4 billion, according to the latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). The value of titanium ore minerals (ilmenite, rutile, and zircon) decreased by 14.5%, from Ksh 28.3 billion in 2022 to Ksh 24.2 billion in 2023. Total production of titanium ores also fell by 36.5%, from 441,940 tonnes to 280,698 tonnes, due to a 59% decline in rutile production and a 77% drop in zircon production, although ilmenite production saw a slight increase of 2%.
Additionally, soda ash production declined by 25.2%, from 321,779 tonnes to 240,784 tonnes, with its value decreasing by 15%, from Ksh 2 billion to Ksh 1.7 billion. Gold production also dropped, from 563,600 tonnes to 410,000 tonnes, with earnings falling from Ksh 3.4 billion to Ksh 3.2 billion. Despite these declines, there were favorable earnings per tonne for soda ash, salt, and titanium ore and concentrate. The average export price per tonne of soda ash increased from Ksh 41,731 in 2022 to Ksh 47,550 in 2023, the average export price per tonne of salt rose by 4.4% to Ksh 14,329, and the average export price per tonne of titanium ore minerals saw a modest increase of 0.4%, from Ksh 69,185 to Ksh 69,451.
