Kenya has taken a significant step toward modernizing mineral revenue governance with the nationwide deployment of its Royalty Management System (RMS), developed and implemented by CSM Technologies Limited through its wholly owned Kenyan subsidiary, CSM Tech Limited. The platform went live on September 28, creating a digital channel for the declaration, assessment, payment and monitoring of mineral royalties across the country.
The deployment comes as Kenya’s mining industry gains momentum. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) 2026 Economic Survey, the country’s Mining and Quarrying sector grew 14.9% in 2025, following a 7.8% contraction in 2024. The sector’s growing economic significance is also reflected in mineral exports, which the State Department for Mining valued at approximately US$220 million in 2024-25, generating KSh 991.3 million in mineral royalties.
Against this backdrop, strengthening the way mineral royalties are declared, assessed and collected has become increasingly important. The RMS supports implementation of the Mining Act, Cap 306, which requires mineral right holders to pay royalties on minerals produced and sold.
The importance of effective royalty administration extends beyond government revenue. Under Kenya’s revenue-sharing framework, mineral royalty proceeds are distributed among the National Government, County Governments and Host Communities, with 70% allocated to the National Government, 20% to County Governments and 10% to Host Communities. A more transparent and efficient collection mechanism can therefore have a direct bearing on public finances and local development.
Digitising the Royalty Compliance Lifecycle
The new RMS replaces fragmented and manual processes with a unified digital workflow. Mineral right holders and licensed dealers can complete key stages of royalty compliance online, from registration and declaration to assessment, invoicing and payment.
The platform enables users to create and manage miner profiles, submit royalty declarations, receive automated assessments, generate invoices and make digital payments. They can also monitor compliance status, penalties and outstanding liabilities in real time while accessing authenticated transaction records.
For government authorities, the system provides greater visibility into royalty accruals and payments. Integration with mining license records, combined with role-based permissions and secure audit trails, helps reduce manual intervention while improving accountability and traceability across transactions.
The availability of real-time information also enables authorities to reconcile payments more efficiently and supports the subsequent distribution of revenue to counties and host communities.
Nationwide Adoption Across Kenya’s Mining Sector
The success of a nationwide digital platform depends not only on technology but also on adoption. Kenya’s mining sector includes large-scale mining companies alongside mid-sized operators and artisanal and small-scale miners, making accessibility an important part of the rollout.
To support adoption, the State Department for Mining is facilitating registration, onboarding and technical assistance through Madini House in Nairobi and County Mining Offices across the country. CSM Tech Limited is supporting the implementation across the full project lifecycle, including solution design, deployment, capacity building, knowledge transfer and post-go-live support.
This approach is intended to make the platform accessible to different participants while creating a common digital framework for royalty administration nationwide.
From India’s Mining Technology to Africa’s Digital Governance
The Kenyan deployment builds on CSM Technologies’ experience in developing digital platforms for mining governance in India. Its portfolio includes Raj Mines for the Department of Mines & Geology, Government of Rajasthan, which has facilitated more than 20.5 million digital transit permits, along with the Integrated Mines and Minerals Management System (i3MS) in Odisha and Khanij Online in Chhattisgarh.
Commenting on the deployment, Priyadarshi Pany, Managing Director & CEO of CSM Technologies Limited, said mineral royalties represent more than a revenue stream and can help convert a country’s natural wealth into public value for governments, communities and future generations. He added that the Kenyan deployment reflects growing international confidence in India’s Digital Public Infrastructure expertise and demonstrates how purpose-built GovTech platforms can strengthen governance outcomes in emerging economies.
Subhendu Kumar Mohapatra, Director (MEA), CSM Technologies Limited, said the RMS demonstrates how digital innovation can simplify regulatory compliance while strengthening transparency and accountability. He noted that the platform creates a single source of truth for royalty-related transactions and provides a scalable foundation for modern mineral governance.
A Broader Role for GovTech in Natural Resource Management
Kenya’s RMS illustrates a broader shift in the way governments are approaching natural resource administration. As mining activity expands, digital systems can help governments move beyond basic revenue collection toward more transparent, traceable and data-driven governance.
For Kenya, the nationwide RMS brings royalty administration into a single digital environment. For CSM Technologies, the project further expands its international footprint and demonstrates how Indian GovTech capabilities can be adapted to address governance challenges in emerging markets.
The deployment also points to the growing relevance of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in sectors such as mining, where multiple stakeholders, regulatory requirements and revenue-sharing mechanisms need to operate within a connected ecosystem.
As governments across Africa and the Middle East continue to invest in digital public services, platforms such as Kenya’s Royalty Management System could become an important model for using technology to improve transparency, compliance and the management of natural-resource revenues.
