Abimbo village in Bondo Sub-county in Siaya county, a once bustling gold mine that was the economic fuel for the locals now lies silent, save for a few residents who occasionally stop by out of curiosity and then go about their usual errands, a sharp contrast from barely 20 days ago.
Some 41 days after the mine collapsed on ten miners and two escaped without injuries, with one death recorded and rescue efforts successfully removing six men from the rubble, one man was not so lucky as the emergency teams could not locate him, and so to date Tom Okwach the remaining miner is yet to be found.
On the days following the collapse of the mine shaft, authorities including the County government of Siaya stepped in providing machinery and manpower in the rescue efforts, an activity that the county government through the Deputy Governor Dr. James Okumbe reassured the locals and families of those trapped that the activities will be concluded in a matter of days.
As days went by, the rescue efforts died down, most of the team that had been brought to help left leaving local residents and fellow miners alone in the rush against time to recover their colleague albeit with dwindling hope of ever finding him alive.
Stephen Aliwa, brother of Tom Okwach said that the family has been left to cover the costs of the rescue operations after the excavators that were previously provided left citing danger of the loose soil collapsing on them if they proceeded any further.
It has now been 41 days and counting since Tom Okwach’s family last saw him and despite the challenges they are facing in trying to rescue their loved one, they are keeping hope alive that they will find his body.
About 40 youths supported by help groups carry on with recovery efforts.
By Calvin Otieno
