NAIROBI, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to empower small scale miners in order to boost job creation, a government official said on Friday.

John Omenge, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, told journalists in Nairobi that there are approximately 100,000 small scale miners operating in the country mostly in the gold and gemstones sectors.

"The government will therefore put in place measures to ensure that artisanal miners operate in a conducive business environment," Omenge said when he took over from the outgoing Principal Secretary Ibrahim Mohamed.

He said that the government will avail modern mining equipment to small scale farmers at subsidized rates, noting that despite the huge role of artisanal miners in the country, most use crude equipment to search for minerals.

Omenge added that the artisanal miners also use dangerous chemicals to refine their minerals which are not properly disposed leading to serious environmental degradation.

In 2016, Kenya enacted a mining law that legalized small scale miners. Omenge noted that regulations will soon be completed that will fully operationalize the law that repealed the 1940 mining Act.

Kenya's major minerals include titanium, soda ash and gold. Omenge said that in order to boost the mining sector even further, it will discourage export of raw minerals by establishing value addition centers throughout the country.

He added that Kenya will soon begin conducting an aerial mineral survey in order to identify the exact mineral wealth of the country.