State to revoke 1,500 mining licences issued to 'speculators'

Machine used by gold diggers at Dabel gold mining site. [Jacob Muasya, Standard]

The government has revoked over 1,500 licenses held by mining firms that had failed to meet the set conditions.

The Ministry of Mining said some of the firms that have been issued with permits to prospect or undertake mining activities had been speculators waiting to sell them off and had not made investments as required by the terms of their licenses.