Regularising Gold Mining in Macalder and Osiri
Migori sits on one of Kenya's richest gold belts, yet our miners work in unsafe, informal conditions. Here is my plan to formalise the sector.
Migori sits on a stretch of the Tanzanian Greenstone Belt — one of Kenya's richest gold-bearing regions. From Macalder in Nyatike to Osiri and Kamwango in Rongo, our gold mines have produced wealth for generations. But our miners work in unsafe, informal conditions.
Every year, lives are lost in shaft collapses. Mercury poisons our water. Profits are siphoned off by middlemen. And the national government treats artisanal mining as a problem to be regulated away, rather than a sector to be supported.
As Governor, I will: (1) register and license all artisanal miners through a county mining cooperative; (2) provide safety gear and training; (3) invest in mercury-free processing technologies; (4) work with the national government to formalise gold buying centres in Macalder and Osiri; and (5) ensure that a portion of mining royalties is ring-fenced for community development in mining wards.
Our gold should build our schools, clinics, and roads — not line the pockets of brokers in far-away offices.
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