Ndira: Residents of Ndira in North Sakwa location are raising concerns against a family in their village, accusing them of unlawfully obtaining gold mining rights without the community's consent.
According to Kenya News Agency, the residents claim they have faced harassment and illegal detention for engaging in artisanal mining, which has been their traditional means of livelihood.
Addressing journalists at Ndira trading centre, the residents called for immediate government intervention to revoke the mining licence allegedly granted to Evelyn Mutuku, emphasizing that peace and harmony could only be restored if the licence was annulled. Isaiah Otieno, chairman of the Ndira artisanal mining Sacco, expressed frustration that Mutuku's licence has impeded mining activities on private lands, whose owners were unaware of such developments.
Otieno recounted that his Sacco, having worked on a new site for three years, was abruptly halted by a State department of Mining team for lacking the necessary permits. Despite complying and applying for the required documents from the ministry and the national Environment Management Authority (NEMA), they were informed that operations could not proceed as Mutuku had already secured the licence. Otieno further lamented that officials refused to return their application documents.
Landowners Leonard Orwa Ogonyo and Helida Akoth Walori, who had agreements with the artisanal miners, expressed their grievances over not being consulted by government agencies about the licence issuance. Walori, a wheelchair-bound widow, is particularly troubled, as she depended on payments from miners to afford her medication.
George Adede Owuor, chairman of the Kowino Ojwang' family, who owns the disputed land, shared that he has been detained twice for questioning the miners' harassment and the licence's issuance process. Owuor noted that the licensee's family lands are separate, suggesting that Mutuku should limit mining activities to her family land.
The residents have urged local leaders to intervene promptly as the dispute has left many youths unemployed and idle.