Parliament will investigate concerns raised on the Lirhanda Corridor gold exploration deal awarded to a UK firm.
Residents and area MPs questioned the secret manner in which the prospecting rights was dished out to a foreign firm.
Acacia Mining has approximated that there are 1.31 million ounces of an inferred gold resource worth Sh164 billion on the corridor.
The National Assembly's Environment and Natural Resources Committee chaired by Kareke Mbiuki (Maara) will look into the deal.
Mining CS John Munyes disclosed the exploration plans last month when he visited the region. He was accompanied by CSs Peter Munya (Agriculture), James Macharia (Transport) and Eugene Wamalwa (Devolution).
Western Kenya MPs led by Alfred Agoi (Sabatia) and his Lugari counterpart Ayub Savula have said the deal is shrouded in secrecy.
Savula told the Star that the area leaders were kept in the dark and there was no impact assessment conducted for the project.
The Mbiuki-led panel will be probing amongst others how the UK-based company, Acacia Mining, was awarded the contract by the government to start gold exploration in the corridor which cuts across Kakamega, Vihiga, Kisumu and Siaya counties.
Last week in Parliament, Agoi asked Munyes for an explanation of the deal and the ownership of the companies.
Speaker Justin Muturi referred the matter to the committee.
“Which companies have been identified and given the rights for gold prospecting and what are the processes that were used to identify and award those companies the rights for gold prospecting?” Agoi asked.
“What is the proposed revenue sharing structure among the national government, county governments involved and the local citizens affected and what royalties or payments has the government received and/or is given by those companies in exchange for the award of gold prospecting rights?”
He furthered demanded that the CS makes public the impact assessment report and also clarifies the estimated amounts in value and quantity of the gold deposits in the Lirhanda Corridor.
Edited by R.Wamochie
