Armed gangsters raided a gold mining firm in Rarieda sub county and took off with equipment worth millions of shillings.
The Tuesday morning incident, which occurred in North Ramba sub location in Central Asembo location, saw watchmen guarding the Amlight Resources Company limited, whose activities at the site were ordered closed by the courts, flee for dear lives when the mean looking gangsters over powered them after knocking down a section of the wall.
According to the director of Amlight resources, Amos Barasa Mabonga, this was the fifth attack on his premises this year.
Mabonga, who addressed the media at the company yard in company of his lawyer, Danstan Omari, lamented that in all the previous attacks, no action has been taken despite suspects being positively identified.
“The first attack occurred on 25th January, this year and two lives were lost. As we speak, the case has never reached the courts,” lamented Mabonga adding that whenever they make inquiries, they are informed that the file was still at the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
He said that the fact that no action was taken against the suspects in both cases has emboldened perpetrators of crime against his workers and property to launch similar attacks whenever they feel like.
Amlight Resources worker, Charles Otieno Onyango accused local security personnel and other government officials of working in cahoots with a rival gold mining company operating in the area to frustrate Amlight.
Onyango said that as villagers, they were tired of persistent attacks and harassment, warning that unless action was taken to put a stop to the attacks soon, the area will become a bloodbath.
“We will no longer entertain these acts. We have endured enough and if the government cannot act, they will come to collect bodies here,” he said.
Addressing the media, Amlight company lawyer, Danstan Omari, accused law enforcement agencies of lacklustre performance in discharging their duties, adding that this was to blame for the perennial attacks on his client’s property.
Omari said that a court order stopped mining activities in the area but invaders have dug tunnels into his client’s land and were carrying out their activities illegally.
“This is a war where a Kenyan investor is being harassed by a foreigner”, said the lawyer adding that the law cannot be bent to protect foreigners at the expense of locals.
He vowed to take up the matter with the relevant offices, including the Director of Public Prosecutions and ensure that all the perpetrators of crime targeting his client faced the law.
By Philip Onyango
