Kilimapesa
Kilimapesa Gold Mine is located on the prolific Migori Greenstone Gold Belt in South West Kenya. Kilimapesa has a mining license (valid until 2036) as well as an extensive prospecting permit that surrounds the mining license. Kilimapesa has JORC Compliant resources of 14.05mt @ 1.56glt for 705Koz contained gold. Significant exploration potential exists both within the mining license, which hosts the Kilimapesa Hill Deposit and within the exploration license which hosts the Vim Rutha deposit, along with 7 other drill ready targets.
The mine consists of two open pits and an underground mine (consisiting of 4 adits) all of these on the Kilimapesa Hill Deposit.
The high grade ore is processed through a conventional milling, CIL circuit and lower grade ore through a pilot heap leach plant.
An expansion of the heap leach plant is underway with target production of 24,000oz per annum.
Location
Fast Facts
- Located in the heart of East Africa, covering a total surface area of about 586,600km
- Relatively stable climate.
- Stable political system
- Government keen to attract foreign direct investment and focused on mining sector.
- Mining activity has been present for over 50 years but industry still in relative infancy.
- Significant discovery potential and gold sector is fast emerging with a number of major new investments such as AIM-listed Shanta Gold.
- Government focused on developing and implementing policies that will allow the country to benefit from its mineral wealth.
- New mining code in 2016 to ensure the sustainable exploitation of natural resources.
Total Resource (1 g/t cut-off)
| Tonnes (Mt) | Grade (g/t) | Ounces (koz) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kilimapesa Hill | Measured and Indicated | 6.92 | 1.45 | 318 |
| Inferred | 5.22 | 1.48 | 248 | |
| Total | 12.15 | 1.5 | 566 | |
| Red Ray | Measured and Indicated | 0.88 | 2.84 | 80 |
| Inferred | 1.03 | 1.83 | 60 | |
| Total | 1.91 | 2.28 | 140 | |
| Total | Measured and Indicated | 7.8 | 1.59 | 398 |
| Inferred | 6.25 | 1.53 | 308 | |
| Total | 14.06 | 1.56 | 706 |
Several exploration targets have been identified as part of a mining expansion strategy to increase the project resource and extend the life of mine. These targets have been identified by past mining activities, artisanal mining, surface mapping, and exploration drilling. A targeted exploration programme commenced in December 2021 and initially focussed on the Kilimapesa Hill Deposit, targeting areas east of and close to the existing underground mine, before stepping out on strike to the eastern boundary of the mining licence as well as to the west of Kilimapesa Hill. This led to an updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Kilimapesa Hill Deposit in July 2022 of 12.15Mt @ 1.5g/t gold for 565.7koz contained gold, taking the overall project resource to 14.05Mt @ 1.56g/t gold for 705koz contained gold.
The focus now is on the wider exploration licence, where three prioritised targets have been identified. This includes the Maghor target and the larger Vim-Rutha target in the south of the licence.
Kilimapesa covers the eastern end of the historically producing Migori Archaean Greenstone Belt with gold mineralisation occurring along a WNW trending complex of shear zones with orientations that roughly parallel the strike of the belt. The Migori Greenstone Belt is responsible for the majority of Kenya’s gold production and comprises a volcano-sedimentary package of approximately 2850Ma age. It is an extension of the granite-greenstone terrain of the Tanzanian Craton / Lake Victoria Gold Fields which have been the subject extensive modern gold mining activities and nearby operators include Barrick Gold’s North Mara Mine and Shanta Gold’s West Kenya Project.
