Lunga lunga: Women gravel miners in the Kichukwa area of Lunga Lunga, Kwale County, have called on the government and non-governmental organizations to intervene and help them acquire better equipment at their worksite. They also demand a stable market for their products, a situation they say would transform their livelihoods and those of their families.
According to Kenya News Agency, the women, who gather every morning at the gravel quarry, engage in physically demanding work to fend for their families’ basic needs, including food and school fees for their children, even as they contend with meagre earnings of just fifty shillings per bucket of gravel. Mwanahawa Juma, one of the miners, said she joined the group after watching her peers engage in the activity and decided to try it too in order to earn income to buy daily household necessities for her family.
Juma explained that her work in the gravel mine allows her to buy essential household items. However, she uses rudimentary tools such as a sieve and a broom due to a lack of proper equipment. Her colleague, Mwanahawa Bakari, highlighted the low earnings from the gruelling work and appealed to stakeholders to provide assistance. The women hope to pull themselves out of poverty through better support and resources.
The group’s chairperson, Zaituni Mwatero, a mother of four, joined the mining activity after finding no other way to supplement her family’s income. She identified two key challenges: the absence of a stable market and price competition among the miners. These issues often force them to sell at very low prices when pressed by personal financial hardship. The group also lacks knowledge of mining laws that could protect small-scale miners.
The women need protective equipment such as heavy-duty gloves, overalls, gumboots, shovels, and hammers. Access to better markets that would provide fair value for their labor is also crucial. Mwatero expressed gratitude for any assistance in acquiring equipment, as the work takes a toll on their physical health.
