Kakamega: Kakamega County Assembly is set to hear petitions raised against gold mining activities in Ikolomani Sub-county of Kakamega County on Thursday this week. In a notice issued last Friday, the County Assembly is inviting views from the public and other stakeholders by way of a written memorandum, in readiness for the hearing.
According to Kenya News Agency, the petitions will be heard by the Assembly’s Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, Energy, Water and Climate Change at Malinya Stadium in Idakho Central Ward, as per the notice signed by the Assembly Clerk, Donald Manyala. ‘The Committee has scheduled a petition hearing and public participation forum on Thursday, April 23, 2026, starting at 9 am,’ read the notice seen by the media.
The Committee is currently considering a petition on the ongoing concerns in the gold mining areas of Isulu-Bushiangala in Ikolomani Sub-county filed by civil society organizations opposed to the proposed gold mining. The petitions were filed last December by Nelly Madegwa of Msingi Adili, Nickson Murabwa (KCC), Brenda Oyiko (The Kaki Comm), Eliud Wanjala (Shabokee Stars), and Audrey Bigatih of G to W.
The petitioners have expressed dissatisfaction on various grounds, citing inadequate public participation and disclosure, lack of artisanal mining licensing, exclusion from decision-making, risk of displacement, threats of eviction from cultural heritage, and environmental and health concerns. They have also raised issues of economic displacement and lack of civic education to the affected stakeholders.
The petitioners are seeking the intervention of the County Assembly to recommend suspension of the proposed gold mining activities until mandatory stakeholder engagement. They also want the investor, Shanta Gold Company Limited, to establish, develop, and implement a fair, transparent, and lawful resettlement in accordance with the Mining Act 2016 and applicable human rights standards, sustainable mining practice, and social impact, compensation, and benefit-sharing mechanisms.
Principal Secretary (PS)-In-Charge of Mining, Harry Kimtai, while speaking during an engagement with Members of Kakamega County Assembly in Kisumu early this month, assured that the government will follow the law. The PS assured landowners that their rights will be respected, with public participation influencing the final decision on issuance of a license to Shanta Gold Company, which has been prospecting for the vital mineral, to embark on underground gold mining.
He, however, emphasized that all minerals in Kenya are vested in the State, constitutionally belonging to the people of Kenya rather than individual landowners. The Assembly Committee’s report will be vital in guiding the course of action on granting a license to the company after the expiry of 42 days from the date of publication of notice and participation for or against the project.
Last December, two people were killed in the area after violent protests broke out during a public participation forum called by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) in the area. The government has assured residents of tight security, warning that whoever will be found inciting the residents will be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law.
