Marsabit County gov’t to provide miners with condoms

Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali has ordered the County’s Health Department to provide condoms to gold miners as the government seeks to re-open gold-mining operations in the Dabel area of the devolved unit.

Governor Mohamud spoke on Thursday after the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs announced plans to kick off strategic plans on the re-opening of the troubled mining site.

He said the resolution was followed by a “strange request” by some of the miners as the government engaged locals in addressing challenges at the troubled artisanal site that has so far claimed the lives of 24 people.

“I received a strange message requesting for condoms from some miners. I have since directed the County Secretary to liaise with the health department to provide the protective gear,” said the Governor.

The national government, county government and the community engaged for months before reaching a consensus to pave the way for proper and regulated allocation of mining zones for artisanal miners.

Speaking during a stakeholder meeting at Moyale Boys, Mining Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi said the agreed implementation roadmap will open up mining activities for the local communities to earn a living out of the abundant natural resources.

The PS also commissioned equipment including shovels and graders purposely deployed for rehabilitation of the already mined areas.

“Our goal is to establish a safe, secure and profitable mining zone where artisanal miners will earn a decent living without disruptions, disputes and animosities,” he said.

The backfilling process will be overseen by a multi-agency team from Marsabit County government supported by the Mining Police Unit.

Governor Mohamud also expressed his dissatisfaction after a section of agitated Sakuye elders bolted out of the meeting.

“Some of the elders who have walked out have actually appended their signatures on this document, we need to be sincere; how can you sign a document then walk out in protest?” He posed.

The meeting agreed to an immediate and total backfilling of all mining pits and shafts in the area to eradicate the menace of rampant illegal mining in the troubled zone.

Further, the county government will demarcate and set aside areas dedicated to artisanal mining operations by setting up social amenities to support the resumption of mining in the area.

The national government through the Mining ministry will also allocate areas for the artisanal miners in the marketing cooperatives with a provision for future expansions of numbers of artisanal miners as a long-term plan.

While receiving a joint memorandum from the local communities, PS Mwangi said they would be guided by how quickly the MoUs are accomplished.

The artisanal miners on their part committed to setting up washrooms to support proper sanitation to be certified by the county public health department before its operation begins.

All parties agreed to abide by the resolutions contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) presented to the ministry for actualization.

On Monday, Chairperson of the National Assembly National Security Administration Committee Gabriel Tongoyo told the House that a total of 15 co-operatives have been registered following an increase in the number of miners to 40,000 between 2023 and 2024.

The Narok West MP also called out local politicians for being a stumbling block in the re-opening of the site.