- Kindiki banned all artisinal mining activities as well as unlicensed commercial mining.
- The area is among those with gold deposits and hence attracts locals who venture there to make a living.
Image: FILE
A popular gold mine site in Migori County was Monday closed over safety issues.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki visited the area and said small illegal artisinal mining sites in Migori County pose grave public safety risks resulting in deaths when mine shafts cave in.
Last week, two Kenyans died in one of such sites in Nyatike, while four others died two months ago at Sango.
This brought to six, the number of miners killed in such sites in two months.
Kindiki banned all artisanal mining activities as well as unlicenced commercial mining.
“To ensure regularised artisanal mining that meets public safety and environmental standards, the Government has banned all artisanal mining activities as well as unlicenced commercial mining.”
“The Migori County Security and Intelligence Committee (CSIC) is directed to enforce this directive immediately,” he said.
Kindiki visited the area on a routine tour to check on various security matters.
He told the team to enhance operations on the issue of illicit alcohol, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
“As at present, 3000 rolls of bhang have been seized, 106 suspects arrested and arraigned, 378 raids on illicit alcohol conducted, seven chemists and five agrovets closed.”
On the mining of gold in Migori, the deaths occurred on March 21.
The group was at Matanda Mining Field when the incident happened.
Witnesses said there were six miners in the tunnel when the walls collapsed killing two on the spot.
The area is among those with gold deposits and hence attracts residents who venture there to make a living.
The incident came a day after a miner died when a gold mining site collapsed and trapped them in Lirhembe village, Ikolomani, Kakamega county.
One was injured and rushed to hospital in serious condition following the Wednesday evening incident, police said.
The victims were among a group of miners at the gold mine site when the walls collapsed trapping them.
The miners were about 200 feet in the tunnel when the incident happened, other victims said.
Weeks ago at least three gold miners died after the walls of an underground mine collapsed in Manyatta village, Vihiga.
Police said two others escaped with injuries in the incident. They were pulled out alive and rushed to hospital.
Another miner had a week ago died at a gold mine site in West Pokot.
Officials however say the tunnels where the miners venture are unsafe for their operations.
The officials said the miners were using heavy machines to crush stones in their artisanal activities, overlooking the environmental impact.
As part of efforts to address the menace, government officials have always directed those involved in mining activities to stop operations for the National Environmental Management Authority to conduct an environmental impact assessment to give the ecological guidelines before mining operations can resume.
Nema officials were directed to carry out the environmental impact assessment and give reports at the sites as part of efforts to address the safety measures.
The gold miners are also ordered to seek licenses from all the relevant government authorities before embarking on the work.
They have been told to stop using heavy machinery at the sites.
These machineries make the sites weak and unsafe for the miners.
The majority of the gold mining activities are done by small and medium enterprise miners who have been exposed to unsafe practices in the mining extraction processes.
Plans are underway to regulate the activities at the sites.