A goldmine in Turkana County has been closed after it collapsed, killing one person and injuring several others.
County Commissioner Julius Kavita ordered the mine to be closed following the incident at Lomeguro Centre in Lolupe village on Friday.
The County Commissioner said the closure would give rescuers a chance as they race to save those still trapped in the mine.
By Saturday morning, three artisanal miners had been rescued and the body of the deceased retrieved.
Mr Kavita, who arrived on the scene of the tragedy, said that although many families in the area relied on the risky trade, the site is illegal.
“This mine is now closed with immediate effect. Rescue operations are ongoing, but we cannot allow this kind of unregulated activity to continue endangering lives,” said Mr Kavita.
The Commissioner further put the residents on notice and warned against allowing children to work in the mines without safety measures.
“No child should be in these death pits. Chiefs must arrest parents who send children to the mines instead of going to school,” he said.
This is not the first time a mine has collapsed. Many of these mines are not regulated or licensed and are dug without safety measures and proper equipment.
Triza Amoni, Chief Officer for Energy, Petroleum and Mining, said that although the county has continuously sensitised communities about the dangers of unsafe mining, the incident is another painful reminder of why regulation is necessary.
“We must balance between economic need with safety and human life. We are not against people earning a livelihood from mining. But it must be done responsibly, with safety measures in place. We will not compromise on that,” she said.
This comes even as civil society groups urged the government to go beyond shutdowns and arrest those behind the illegal operations.
“We need alternatives like vocational training, safer mining zones, and better access to education. People shouldn’t have to choose between starvation and suffocation underground,” one of the activists said.
By Bakari Ang’ela
