The government has instituted measures to clean up mining activities in Illo area, Dabel division of Marsabit County to make it economically beneficial to the community and the nation.
The efforts to streamline the community oriented activity ranged from gazettement of Illo as an artisanal mining area to formation of locally driven cooperative societies to undertake the lucrative venture.
The mines which are endowed with gold, chromite, mica, beryllium and a range of gemstones have previously been extracted without regulation leading to challenges that included security, loss of wealth, degradation of the environment and poor sanitation.
The Regional Mining Officer Peterlis Osamba said the potential in the mining belt that straddles the Ethiopian-Kenya border is enormous with the government declaring chromite ore as a strategic mineral reserve.
Speaking during a one day training workshop for law enforcement officers from Marsabit county on mining related issues, Eng. Osamba disclosed that the mining and processing of chromite ore has been banned for an indefinite period.
The officer said the government was keen at harnessing the mineral potential in Marsabit County by enforcing the Mining Act of 2016 in order to create employment and generate revenue.
This, he said, would only be possible through a framework which the State Department of Mining has created by bringing on board all actors in the sector for legal mining business that also mitigates against climate change.
Noting that 80 per cent of the about 70,000 plus population gravitating around the fast growing Illo shanty mining town was comprised of illegal migrants from Ethiopia, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Southern Sudan and as far as Nigeria, the government has restricted mining to only miners with permits and licenses.
He added that the department has brought on board other agencies like the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Immigration, the county government, the community, and the National Police Service in creating an enabling environment for artisanal mining.
Eng. Osamba said mining was a key component in the Vision 2030 development plan as it was envisaged as a major contributor to the economic growth adding that mapping out mineral resources in Marsabit County has been concluded.
During the training, it emerged that environmental responsibility by actors at the mining fields was at zero level with wanton clearing of land to pave way for mines, getting construction materials for the makeshift shelter structures and charcoal burning taking toll on the fragile environment.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is also concerned that the thousands of migrants to Illo were now hunting down small game as their source of food.
The Community Warden in-charge of Moyale Sub-County Abdi Adan said that diki-diki and antelopes were the main target by the informal inhabitants who have settled in the area in the past one year.
Adan also noted that environmental degradation was alarming as there were no toilets while hundreds of open mine holes left uncovered by the artisanal miners posing a danger to both humans and animals.
The Warden however said measures which included creating awareness on the importance of protecting wildlife were being taken to stem the menace.
“We are collaborating with other stakeholders to educate these people on the need to protect this national heritage and the dangers involved in poaching,” he said adding that surveillance was being enhanced to prevent the practice.
The county security team is concerned that the migrant miners who work either in groups or as individuals were not only a security threat but continued to occasion loses the country in terms of mineral wealth and revenue.
Marsabit County Police Commander Patrick Mwakio noted that people who were strangers to the authorities continued to find their way to the mining sites which were about 60 kilometers from the porous Kenya-Ethiopia border.
Mwakio expressed concern that bad elements could be among the thousands of migrants who have found their way to Dabel division said to be abuzz with mineral extraction activities and other unlicensed businesses.
“We are not taking chances as the mining sites could be hiding places for dangerous criminals,” he said, adding that investigations into the whole mineral mining affair was in progress to ascertain what other kinds of crime is associated with it.
The Police Commander underlined the urgency to regulate the mining activities in the area and lauded the State Department for Mining for organizing a workshop to enlighten law enforcement agencies on the laws and regulations governing extraction of minerals.
To this effect, the State Department for Mining has conducted awareness forums and trainings for members of local communities with mining interests at Illo and other parts of Marsabit County.
The Regional Mining Officer said that the residents engaging in mining activities for gold or other minerals have been educated on the need to operate as registered groups and consequently empowered into forming cooperative societies.
Through financial grants from the department, seven cooperatives have been initiated across the county out of which five have secured registration certificates.
The formation of the cooperative societies is aimed at enabling the locals to secure mining permits and marketing licenses with ease and to engage in the minerals business within the set up legal framework.
Besides, the government would be able to seal loopholes through which revenue and foreign exchange estimated to run into millions of shillings has previously been lost while miners and traders would be protected from cartels who currently run the show.
Some of the cooperative entities which have secured certificates with the support of the government are Illo Artisernary Cooperative Society Limited, Haldagon Mineral Marketing Cooperative Society Limited and Dabel Artisanal Miners’ Cooperative Society Limited.
Others include Gold and Gemstone Mining Cooperative Society Limited and Laisamis Artisernary Cooperative Society.
Additionally, a County Artisanal Mining Committee comprising of eight members to be chaired by a representative of the governor with the representative of the Director of Mines as the secretary has been formed that would together with the Marsabit Artisanal Mining Association oversee the harnessing of the mineral potential in a sustainable manner.
“The committee will have an active role on matters related to the issuance or revocation of artisanal mining permits,” said Eng. Osamba adding that collaboration with the police would ensure effective enforcement of mining regulations and the protection of mining interests.
According to the County Commissioner Nobert Komora, the poor sanitation and degradation of the environment in the extensive mining location is worrying.
While appreciating the measures being taken by the concerned Ministry of Mining and the Blue Economy to clean up the mess, Komora pointed out that large tracks of grazing land were being lost as hundreds of acres that were hitherto covered with pasture were now dots of mine holes and piles of contaminated waste soil.
While calling on the law enforcement officers on the ground to be more patriotic, the County Commissioner said time had come for the police to widen their scope by embracing focus on other areas like mining which required enforcement.
He asked the County Police Commander to do whatever it would take to ensure that the country is not robbed off its wealth by illegal alien miners and other unlicensed dealers by enforcing the Mining Act which classifies mineral smuggling as an economic crime.
He noted that the venture could be of great value to the country if the operations were streamlined as it would officer jobs, generate revenue and accelerate development.
“The happenings at Illo mining shanty town are of great concern to the government as it involves raping of state resources and poses a security risk,” the County Commissioner remarked, warning that the government could consider closing it down.
