Where gold is no ticket out of grinding squalor

If having huge gold deposits were the measure of a region’s wealth, residents of Lolgorian area in Transmara, Narok county, would be driving flashy cars, living in magnificent homes and oozing opulence. However, the gold deposits in the area are more of a curse than a blessing to the residents. Most residents of Lolgorian live from hand to mouth despite years of extracting the precious mineral from stones and mud. They sell the mud and stones after extracting some gold to South African mining company, Kilimapesa Gold (PYT) and hundreds of brokers, some from as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo. The farmers use mercury to separate the gold, which exposes them to health risks. “After extracting the quantities they manage, the company buys the mud from them for further extraction. Mercury does about 20 per cent of the work,” says Boniface Kashu, the secretary of the Lolgorian Farmers of Gold, a local organisation that helps small-scale miners find safer ways of doing their work. Plough back An official of Kilimapesa company who spoke to People Daily on condition of anonymity because its headquarters in South Africa handles all media queries, said the firm ploughs back some money to the community annually, which helps in improving infrastructure in areas such as roads, health and schools. “When we came here roads were poor and were impassable during the rainy season. Apart from roads, we continue to assist schools through provision of modern roofing and desks. “We still supply essential drugs such as antibiotics, anti-malaria and anti-venom medicine in an area known for poisonous snakes,” he said. He denied reports that the company exploits locals by offering them low prices for processed gold before other players entered the scene recently. “We offered prices that were acceptable internationally. You don’t expect to get good money when you have processed it by less than 20 per cent,” he said. Barring children However, gold mining in the region is taking a dangerous shift. Children who have been idle since schools closed in March because of Covid-19 have now resorted to working in the goldmines. “Parents and relatives are to blame because they send their children to do odd jobs, including mining to bring money home,” says Bernard Kipeno, a resident of Lolgorian. Johnston Oduor, a labourer at the pits, said since schools closed, children have become a common feature in the area. “When it rains, the soils become loose, which is dangerous. Though rules have been introduced barring children from mining areas, they still find their way into them,” he laments. When they enter the mines, he says, children scoop mud and try to get a little gold from them and with availability of mercury, they succeed in finding something to sell. “We are forced to mobilise people including area elders and workers of Kilimapesa company to chase them away,” says Oduor, who migrated to Lolgorian from Awasi in Nyando. Because of the activity, the township that is growing faster than Kilgoris, the commercial and administrative capital of Transmara sub-county, hosts people from other parts of the country and some from Tanzania, South Africa and DRC. Mining has also led to a spike in land prices. An acre, depending on proximity to the gold mining sections, goes for between Sh3 million and Sh5 million. Daniel Naikada, the chairman of the Lolgorian Small Gold Miners Association, says members are working with law enforcement agencies to ensure that children do not access the mining fields, adding that most young people who have in the past been involved in the search for the mineral are not from the locality. Lucy Mulenkei, the executive director of Indigenous Information Network, says the initiative is against child labour in goldmines because it exposes them to dangers. “When we first visited the mining areas a few years ago, we were shocked to see children working there. Mothers carried their babies to the mines, exposing them to dangers associated with mercury,” she says. Mulenkei says the network provides workers with some protective equipment and information aimed at making their work and environment safer. Lolgorian Farmers of Gold official Kashu says the work of separating gold from stones and mud is tough and is fraught with dangers and children cannot afford to be near the mines. Apart from availing protective gear, the organisation provides miners with generators for pumping water out of the mining fields, especially during the rainy season, ball mills for crushing stones to powder, pans for smelting and training on how touse the machinery. “We train them to do their work safely. We used to rely on mercury, but since the end of using the poisonous metal is looming worldwide, we are devising ways they can extract, process and get the end product without exposing themselves to danger,” says Kashu. He says through the association assistance, miners are planning to buy shakers tables, which separate gold from mud. The ministry of mining together with that of Environment is working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to help miners move away from mercury dependence through availing technology to safely extract gold. “UNDP has also expressed interest in helping them through technology transfer ahead of the 2024 timeline to stop using of mercury. If it succeeds, mining will be a safe undertaking,”says Kashu, adding that those who were exposed to years of using mercury have started feeling the effects.

Where gold is no ticket out of grinding squalor

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