By Lauryne Akoth
The Principal Secretary for Mining Elijah Mwangi has issued a stern warning to all illegal miners in Migori County to cease operations and seek legal mining licenses.
Mwangi, spearheading a joint security operation alongside mining officials, enforced closure orders on nine illegal large-scale mining operations in the county.
He emphasized that those engaging in illegal mining would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The operation led to the arrest of 32 illegal miners; two Kenyans and 30 foreigners of Chinese origin.
If convicted, the offenders could be subject to a maximum jail term of two years or a fine ranging from two million to ten million Kenyan shillings, or both, as stipulated in the Kenya Mining Act of 2016.
The Act also gives power to the Inspectors of Police and Inspectors of Mining to arrest those violating the Mining Act within their jurisdictions.
The PS emphasized that illegal mining operations would stay shut, and individuals involved would be apprehended until all participants in the mining process, from extraction to distribution, obtain the necessary licenses for mining, processing, and dealership to operate legally.
Moreover, Mwangi noted that the country was losing a lot of revenue resources that could have benefited the national and county governments due to illegal miners.
He added that the illegal mining activities have continued to violate the environmental laws leading to environmental degradation that has become a big threat to the surrounding communities.
In March this year, an illegal mining processing facility in Nyatike Sub County released its waste into a spring water point, leading to the hospitalization of six individuals and the death of three cows and goats.
While on a security tour in the County in late March, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki gave out closure orders to all illegal miners.
However, despite the orders, miners have continued to defy the closure orders and operate their sites with impunity.