Curse of gold? Migori residents claim mineral discovery brings no smiles

Many already feel that the gold mines in the area have done very little to spur economic growth in the region.

Gold deposits have been found at the Macalder mines, Nyatuoro mines, Nyakweri, Mikei, Masara area spreading towards Arombe, Kiasa, Abwao and Nyabisawa region.

“The truth is that our gold has brought no joy to our lives as residents. That’s because there are no proper structures to ensure the gold can be exploited properly to benefit the community,” says Alex Ochieng – a resident of Nyatike.  

Ochieng says that few people have benefited from gold, but majority have wasted their money on luxuries – and have been left poor and cursing.

According to the residents, many of them still grapple with poverty despite living just minutes away from the mines. Many still struggle to pay school fees for their children and feed their families.

The last two months alone have seen new ‘gold deposits’ discovered in Rongo, at the Komire excavation point – and at Nyakweri in Nyatike – both in Migori County.

“The discovery of gold deposits in Nyakweri happened quietly, just a few weeks before the one in Rongo, which was all over the news.

“Our worry as people of Migori is that these gold deposits were discovered by accident on road construction sites. No one knows what amount of gold lies down there. We could be sitting on rich deposits and we don't know. We need intentional and structured exploration done by the relevant authority,” says Ochieng.

Residents told Wananchi Reporting that in the absence of structures – mining has become a fruitless and dangerous activity.

“There have been cases of fatal accidents especially whenever it rains. These tunnels fill up with water and this stops mining activities for months,” says Jane Akinyi who has worked in the Macalder mines.

Residents are now asking the county government and the Ministry of Mining to put in place proper structures to promote objective mining in the region.