By Violet Auma.
Kakamega County, a region endowed with vast gold deposits, is home to thousands of artisanal miners who brave treacherous conditions in search of fortune. From Ikolomani to Rosterman and parts of Shinyalu, the pursuit of gold remains a daily struggle, one riddled with risk, poverty, and an uncertain future.
Despite extracting gold worth millions of shillings, most miners continue to languish in poverty, victims of an unregulated sector controlled by middlemen and cartels who reap the greatest benefits.
For Mildred Isindu, the past 24 hours have been nothing short of a nightmare. Her husband, Bonface Alusiola, was among the 20 miners trapped underground when a gold mine collapsed in Machilifu Village, Museno area, Shinyalu Sub-County, last night.
Eighteen miners were rescued alive, but Bonface was among the two still buried beneath the debris, with no food, water, or oxygen. Sadly, his body and that of fellow miner Frankline Alulu were retrieved this evening, marking yet another tragedy in Kakamega’s gold mining sector.
“He left the house in the morning as usual. I gave him tea, and he said he was going to work. He asked me to pray for him, and I did. I thought my husband would return home as usual, but he didn’t,” Mildred recalls, her voice heavy with grief.
Later that day, she received a phone call that made her heart skip a beat.
“I was informed that there had been an accident in Machilifu, Museno, and that he might be among the victims. The accident happened around 3 PM, and for hours, I clung to hope that he would be rescued alive. I watched as bodies were retrieved, examined them one by one, but my husband was not among them. Now, my worst fears have been confirmed. He is gone.”
The pain of losing her husband leaves her with many unanswered questions. With young children to care for, she wonders how she will survive without him.
The collapse of mines in Kakamega has become a recurring tragedy. Many have died, others have been left maimed and permanently disabled, yet the lure of gold keeps drawing miners back underground.
Most lack the right equipment, yet desperation and poverty push them to risk their lives daily to feed their families.
Several previous mining accidents in the region have highlighted the hazardous nature of this pursuit. In 2019, a mine collapse in Rosterman killed over 10 miners.
A similar incident occurred in 2020 in the Shinyalu region, where at least seven miners were buried when the walls of a shallow gold shaft gave way. These incidents underscore the unrelenting dangers miners face in the pursuit of gold.
Artisanal mining employs thousands of people, directly and indirectly, but the benefits rarely trickle down to the miners themselves. Instead, middlemen and powerful cartels control the trade, leaving the laborers to live hand to mouth.
Every morning, they wake up, pick their crude tools, and descend into the dangerous depths of the mines, hoping to strike gold, literally and figuratively.
The lack of regulations and safety measures in artisanal mining has turned the trade into a death trap. Unsafe tunnels, weak mining structures, and outdated methods have led to numerous fatalities. Despite the dangers, miners continue to dig, driven by necessity rather than choice.
In 2018, a similar mine collapse in the Ikolomani area left six miners dead and others critically injured. These accidents have become part of the tragic narrative that surrounds Kakamega’s gold mining sector.
Despite these recurring tragedies, safety measures such as reinforced tunnels and proper equipment remain scarce in many mines.
The national government, through the Ministry of Mining, initiated the construction of the Ikolomani Gold Refinery Plant to streamline the sector and improve safety.
However, before its completion, urgent safety measures must be put in place to prevent further loss of lives.
Just last week, Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Ali Hassan Joho, toured Kakamega County, warning unscrupulous businesspeople against engaging in dubious gold trade at the expense of the government and local miners.
However, for miners like Bonface Alusiola, these warnings mean little unless real change is implemented.
Governor Fernandes Barasa, while visiting the site of the recent mine collapse, echoed similar sentiments, calling for urgent reforms.
“Artisanal mining remains a key economic activity in our county, but it must be safe and regulated to prevent loss of lives. We cannot continue to lose hardworking individuals in tragedies that are preventable,” he stated.
Despite these pronouncements, miners remain skeptical. For decades, they have heard similar promises, yet their lives remain unchanged.
Until policies are implemented, safety standards enforced, and miners equipped with modern tools, the cycle of mine collapses, injuries, and deaths will persist.
As the dust settles at the Machilifu site, Mildred Isindu is left mourning her husband. The dreams they built together have now been shattered by the very trade that was meant to sustain them.
For countless other miners, the pursuit of gold remains a game of chance, one where survival is never guaranteed.
Their dreams of prosperity are constantly overshadowed by the grim reality of an industry that continues to exploit them, leaving them trapped in a never-ending cycle of poverty and peril.
Until real reforms take place, the story of Kakamega’s gold miners will remain one of tragedy, resilience, and broken dreams.
It is a relentless cycle that continues to claim lives, destroy families, and trap miners in the very poverty they strive to escape.
Without a shift in policies, proper regulations, and a commitment to the safety and well-being of those who risk it all, the gold they mine will remain a symbol of both promise and peril, forever out of reach for those who need it the most.
