West pokot: A multi-agency security team has conducted a week-long crackdown on illegal gold mining operations in West Pokot County. The exercise culminated with the closure and ban of all unlicensed large-scale machine-based mining activities in the region.
According to Kenya News Agency, the operation was spearheaded by the State Department for Mining, the Mining Police Unit, the DCI Unit, and the County Security Committee. It targeted unregulated gold mining sites, which have been blamed for environmental destruction, revenue loss, and serious safety hazards. Authorities have stated that only regulated large-scale miners with valid licenses, as well as other permitted large-scale, small-scale, and artisanal miners, will be allowed to continue operations in accordance with the Mining Act 2016.
Speaking after the operation, Mining Police Unit Commanding Officer Dennis Oduor emphasized that the crackdown aimed to ensure compliance with the Mining Act, protect the environment from further degradation, curb the influx of illegal miners, and enable the government to receive its rightful revenue from gold production. He reiterated the necessity for mining activities to strictly adhere to laid down rules and regulations to safeguard environmental and water standards enforced by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).
During the operation, one individual was arrested for allegedly planning to conduct illegal mining. The accused had established a gold mining site and processing plant without the relevant license or permit from the state department for mining. West Pokot County Mining Officer, Morris Njagi, confirmed that compliance inspections were conducted across several mining sites and issued a notice requiring all illegal operators to cease activities immediately or face prosecution under the Mining Act and other applicable laws.
Residents in affected areas have welcomed the government’s intervention, highlighting the severe environmental damage caused by illegal mining. Philip Ngorikwang, a resident of the Marich area in Pokot Central Sub-County, noted that unregulated gold mining had left deep open pits and heavily polluted River Muruny, making the water unsafe for household use. He warned that environmental destruction, including land degradation, deforestation, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity, could cost the Government of Kenya trillions of shillings to rehabilitate.
Jonathan Pkemei, an artisanal miner at the Turkwel mining site, acknowledged that regulated gold mining has fostered peaceful coexistence between the Pokot and Turkana communities, reducing cases of cattle rustling. However, he admitted that illegal mining has led to fatal mine collapses and serious injuries in the region. Pkemei expressed gratitude to the authorities for their crackdown on illegal mining, stating that it would help bring order to gold mining sites.
Authorities have vowed to intensify operations against illegal mining in West Pokot, maintaining that anyone found violating mining laws will face legal consequences. The crackdown, officials say, is aimed at restoring environmental integrity, enhancing safety standards, and ensuring that mining activities benefit local communities while fully complying with Kenyan laws.
