In what is shaping up to be one of the biggest corruption storms in the Ruto-led administration, flamboyant Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho—famously dubbed Kenya’s “slay king” minister—has been dragged into a bitter gold war in Turkana.
Joho, who was controversially handed the docket despite doubts over his academic papers, now stands accused of hijacking the country’s mineral wealth for personal gain.
With four gold explorers fighting in court, the scandal exposes how corrupt Joho is, turning Kenya’s mining hopes into a personal playground of shady deals and political betrayal.
Corrupt Joho in the Eye of Turkana Gold Storm
Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho is at the center of a messy gold dispute in Turkana County, where four companies are fighting over access to lucrative goldfields. The case has exposed corrupt Joho for allegedly abusing his office to push his own business interests instead of managing the sector fairly.
The companies—Mayfox Mining, Lorado Company, AHG Metals Kenya, and H-Nuo Kenya—are entangled in a vicious court battle over overlapping mining rights in the Naduat area of Nakalale Ward. The dispute, which centers around the irregular issuance of mining licenses, has placed Joho in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
At the heart of the conflict is a disturbing pattern of favoritism and underhand dealings. Court documents reveal that Joho and the Director of Mines & Geology allegedly manipulated the mining registry system, removed valid license data, and illegally allocated the land to companies with murky backgrounds.
Worse, Joho’s actions occurred while there was an active court case challenging the mining rights in the area. This blatant disregard for legal process raises serious concerns about the credibility of the mining sector under Joho’s leadership.
Questionable Deals and Brazen Bias
Evidence presented in court paints a damning picture of how corrupt Joho has weaponized his office to tilt the scales. Lorado Company claims that despite having legal rights to the disputed land, the ministry deliberately stripped it of access and split the gold-rich fields into three sections.
These blocks were then quietly handed over to AHG Metals Kenya Limited and H-Nuo Kenya Company Limited—two companies that never waited for the court to rule before moving in. Joho even published a public notice on March 20, 2025, announcing his intention to grant licenses to one of the companies.
Such moves, critics say, point to a pattern of backdoor dealings. According to insiders, Joho is not acting alone. A small cartel of insiders at the Mining Ministry are allegedly working with politically connected firms to grab goldfields, fast-track approvals, and silence legitimate stakeholders.
Mayfox, the original license holder, had its data erased from the cadastre portal without notice. Its representative, Manga Mugwe, says this action shows a deliberate and malicious intent to frustrate legitimate businesses.
ODM’s Gift to Ruto Now a Liability
Hassan Joho’s appointment as Mining CS was seen by many as a political tradeoff. With his flamboyant lifestyle, love for designer labels, and frequent Dubai trips, Joho was never known for technical expertise.
In fact, his academic qualifications remain questionable to date. But in a bid to strengthen the Kenya Kwanza administration’s appeal at the Coast, ODM “donated” him to the Ruto government. What Kenya got in return, however, is a minister with an insatiable appetite for deals.
Joho has turned the ministry into a personal hunting ground for profits. Instead of creating jobs and boosting exports, the mining sector is now bogged down by lawsuits, irregularities, and elite capture.
This is especially dangerous at a time when Kenya is trying to woo foreign investors and position mining as a key economic driver. With Turkana holding vast untapped gold reserves, the country stands to lose billions if such scandals persist.
Miners are now fearful, communities are angry, and the courts are flooded with cases that should never have existed in the first place. The blame, it seems, lies squarely with corrupt Joho, whose leadership has become toxic to the industry.
A Wake-up Call for Oversight Bodies
The Turkana gold scandal is not just about one man. It is a wake-up call to Parliament, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and the Office of the Auditor-General. If Joho can bypass court proceedings, ignore due process, and manipulate official records, what else is happening behind closed doors?
There must be a full investigation into the licensing process at the Ministry of Mining. The companies that have benefited from suspicious deals should also be probed. Every step that corrupt Joho took in relation to this case should be scrutinized.
Kenya cannot afford to let a few powerful men hijack national resources for private gain. Gold belongs to the people—not to political wheeler-dealers and tenderpreneurs.
