State opens room for talks with Tata Chemicals after standoff
Closed main entrance to Tata Chemicals Magadi plant in Kajiado County on September 7, 2026.
The Ministry of Mining and Blue Economy has softened its stance towards giant soda ash producer Tata Chemicals Magadi in Kajiado County after a month-long standoff that sucked in President William Ruto, paving the way for talks between the two sides.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Mining Cabinet Secretary Ali Hassan Joho said the two parties had agreed to form a special committee, co-chaired by the Principal Secretary for Mining and Tata Chemicals’ chief executive officer, to review the matters and report back with recommendations.
Among the key issues to be addressed are mineral beneficiation, community benefits, royalty payments, county land disputes, opening the area to broader mineral extraction and other unresolved land matters.
CS Joho reiterated the government’s commitment to positively engage investors within the confines of the law and regulations.
Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Hassan Ali Joho.
Earlier, President Ruto, during his tour of Kajiado, had ordered the Indian investor to pack and leave before changing his position and saying soda ash mining in Magadi would be opened to competitive bidding.
The Ministry of Mining ordered Tata Chemicals Magadi to shut down its operations on July 29 over alleged non-compliance issues.
The announcement, which the President has weighed in on several times in the past few days, has attracted global attention.
Tata Chemicals Magadi, formerly Magadi Soda, is among the country’s largest mining employers and the largest producer of soda ash in Africa. It is also one of Kenya’s largest single exporters.
