What we test and verify in Kenya
Nairobi is a regional meeting point for the gold trade. Buyers come to inspect lots, sign contracts and arrange export, and gold offered there may have been mined in Kenya or brought in from neighbouring countries. That makes two things central to any Nairobi deal: what the gold is, and whether the seller holds the right licence to trade and export it.
- On-site testing in Nairobi and at the source — XRF, acid and density, with weighing, sealing and a photo and video record.
- Fire assay by an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory, the certificate in your name.
- Dealer verification — company record, licence class and holder, export approval, directors and payment route.
- Origin checks — for gold said to come from outside Kenya, the import and origin documents of the country it came from.
- Viewing support — our tester attends a viewing with you, or in your place, and reports what was seen and measured.
Kenya’s mineral dealer licences, and why the class matters
Under the Mining Act 2016 and its regulations, dealing in minerals in Kenya needs a licence or permit, applied for through the Online Mining Cadastre System and administered by the Directorate of Mines under the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs. The class of licence decides what the holder may do:
| Licence or permit | What it allows | Export? |
|---|---|---|
| Mineral Dealer’s Trading Licence (MDTL) | Buying, selling, aggregating and exporting specified minerals | Yes, for the minerals named |
| Mineral Dealer’s Processing Licence (MDPL) | Processing and refining, and exporting processed minerals | Yes, processed |
| Mineral Dealer’s Permit (MDP) | Local trading | Generally no |
A seller offering an export lot on a local-trading permit, or a licence that has lapsed at the annual renewal, cannot complete the export as offered. We confirm the class, the holder, the minerals covered and the expiry date.
Checking a Kenyan gold seller
- Company record — looked up with the Business Registration Service, comparing directors and shareholders with the people you are dealing with.
- Licence — class, holder, minerals covered and validity, as above.
- Authority to sell — the seller owns the gold or holds a written mandate from the owner, confirmed with the owner.
- The gold — tested, weighed and sealed by our tester; sample to fire assay where the price depends on the content.
- Documents — export approval, assay certificate and, for gold from outside Kenya, origin and import papers, each confirmed with the issuing office.
- Screening — sanctions, adverse media and litigation on the company and its directors, and a review of where the payment is to go.
Our verification standard sets out each check and what “passed” means. The written report states which checks passed, which did not, and which could not be completed.
Where we work in Kenya
Testing and document work is mostly in Nairobi, at dealers’ offices, vaults and bonded facilities. Kenya’s gold is mined mainly in the west — Migori, Kakamega, Siaya and Narok counties among them — and our testers travel there to see a mine, a buying point or a lot before it moves. Visits outside Nairobi are scheduled with you.
What happens at a viewing
Many Nairobi deals start with a viewing. Our tester attends with calibrated scales, an XRF analyser and density equipment. The lot is counted and weighed, each piece is tested, metal is drilled or melted for a sample where needed, and the lot is sealed with numbered seals in front of both sides. Everything is photographed and filmed, and the readings are written into the report the same day.
If the lot leaves the room before the laboratory result arrives, the seals let you confirm later that it is the same lot. See gold testing on site.
How long it takes
Company and licence checks in Kenya usually take one to two working days. A Nairobi viewing can often be arranged within days of your request. The laboratory sets the fire assay timetable; we state it in the scope.
Gold from neighbouring countries
Gold offered in Nairobi is sometimes said to come from Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania or the DR Congo. That can be legitimate trade, but it means two sets of rules apply: the export rules of the country where the gold was mined and the import and export rules in Kenya. A lot that left its country of origin without an export permit cannot be given one later in Nairobi.
We confirm the origin documents with the issuing offices in the source country — for example the Uganda or DR Congo authorities — and the Kenyan import record, before the lot is treated as exportable.
Contract and payment for a Nairobi deal
- Name the inspection and the laboratory in the contract, and make payment conditional on both.
- Fix where and when ownership and risk pass — at the vault, at the airport or on arrival.
- Pay only into an account in the selling company’s name, after the account has been confirmed.
- Have your lawyer review the sale agreement before signing, against the findings of supplier due diligence.
What you receive
- A written report sent to you directly, the same day for on-site results
- Every reading, weight and seal number, with dated photos and video
- Registry and licence findings, each with the source checked
- The laboratory certificate in your name where an assay was done
- A written recommendation, with any conditions set out