Lack of protective gear exposes miners to lung diseases and deadly fumes.
Gold costs a fortune on the global markets. But to extract it from the ground is a matter of life and death, especially in Migori. Many gold miners in the county have been trapped inside their tunnels and buried under collapsed mines.
Others have suffocated from fumes being emitted from generators that they use to light up the tunnels, which are both vertical and horizontal.
On a typical day, Migori’s miners live like rats — they leave their homes alive, but things could change any moment. So families keep their men in prayers whenever they go into the tunnels.
“The money is too little compared to health risks I expose myself to every day,” said Paul Anyona, a veteran of the tunnels and a father of nine. “I can hardly make ends meets with Sh1,500 I am paid monthly by our cooperative society,” he said.
It is the same story from most of his colleagues. Isaac Ouma, 29, says sometimes they go into the tunnels without gas masks, gumboots, and gloves, exposing them to chest-related ailments as they inhale rock dust for several hours daily.
The tunnels are often dark with low oxygen. In Nyatike and Suna West, gold mining sites are often a political issue. The mines include Osiri, Nyathoro, Akala, Mukuro, and Shinyanga, which are guarded by village vigilantes round the clock to prevent illegal mining by some unscrupulous dealers.
Some of the miners have bought crushing millers from Tanzania that cost as much as Sh250,000. The equipment is used to crush rocks into a fine powder before mercury is added to recover the gold from stone dust.
But there are dangers. Mary Odhiambo is one of the miners who touch mercury with bare hands oblivious to the risk she is exposing herself to. Experts warn exposure to mercury could have long-term health risks, including nervous system complications.
Joshua Owino, a mining consultant, says mercury should not be handled without gloves.
“It is highly dangerous. The managers of the mines should address the safety concern of their employees,” he said.
Mining has become so risky to the extent that some miners are opting for alternative income-generating activities that include fishing and farming. And returns from the mining business are meagre because middlemen exploit the miners.
The miners also use dangerous explosives to crush stones in search for gold deposits.
Richard Mukwate, a police boss said: “We are being faced with a new security challenge because these youths may start using the explosives on criminal activities.”
Mr Mukwate said the explosives were “very dangerous and could easily bring down a ten-storey building within seconds”.
“We have tried to discourage the miners from using the explosives but they seem to be ignoring our directive,” he said.
The county government admits it is difficult to control the mining activities in the area.
The national government cancelled most mining company licences, leaving a gap that individuals have bridged at their own risk.
“As a county government, we are formulating our by-laws to streamline gold mining activities in the region to make it safer and more profitable,” said Migori Governor Okoth Obado.
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