Six people including two police officers and a member of assembly sustained injuries following a confrontation at a quarry in Nyatike, Migori County.
Violence erupted between two conflicting parties after Migori Governor Ochilo Ayako arrived at the scene with the intention of solving the conflict that had been simmering for over a month.
The issue of contention is leasing a section of quarries to investors, in which both parties hold differing opinions regarding its distribution.
“I went there to see artisanal miners to look at the place and to conceptualise what is going on,” Governor Ochilo stated.
Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko addressing the press on May 16, 2024
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Migori County Government
A section of miners, however, started heckling the governor to prevent him from speaking, thereby escalating the situation by throwing stones at vehicles and lighting tires.
Police officers had to be called in to contain the situation and restore normalcy.
A section of the miners, however, used blunt tools to fight with the police and cause havoc. In the ensuing commotion, six people sustained injuries.
Among the injured were two police officers and Macalder Nyakarwanda, a member of the Migori County Assembly.
Reports further indicated that there were heightened tensions in the preceding weeks after some miners from outside the area were chased away to stop their mining activities while local leaders pointed a finger at the County Government of Migori.
“There was a day the governor called us in a meeting and I told him point blank that the outsiders are exploiting our people and taking our resources. And the governor has refused,” Nyakarwanda told the press while confined in a hospital bed.
Separately, Kakamega Senator Bony Khalwale moved to court to stop an investor from continuing with mining activities in Ikolomani citing due process to be followed.
A photo of excavators working at a coal mine
Photo
123RF
