The vast mineral resources in Kitui County have seen several firms work overtime to elbow out their rivals in a bid to stake a claim to the billions of shillings buried underground. The county is endowed with huge reserves of coal in Mui Basin, with a Chinese firm, Fenxi Industry Mining Group, winning the concession to mine it. There are also enviable iron ore deposits in the county’s Ikutha district. But it is the discovery of limestone deposits in Kanziku, Mathima, Simisi and Ngaaie areas that has more recently drawn the attention of some of the region’s largest manufacturers looking to expand their business portfolios. Some of the reserves are said to hold enough limestone to last cement companies more than 50 years.