Mining
Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary (CS), Ali Hassan Joho, has asked the leadership of Nandi County to resolve dispute between the local community and investors at Chemase gold mines in Tinderet Sub-County.
The dispute pitting Karebe Gold Mining Company and Nandi/Chemase Mining Company, he said, threatened to derail the community from reaping benefits from the mineral projects. The impasse has seen illegal miners pitch tent at the disputed site, with the activities resulting into the death of three people in a blast early last year.
Joho said the project has a huge potential, capable of turning around the economy of the county, calling on all elected leaders, to engage the community and the investor, to find an amicable solution to the problem.
Speaking during a meeting with the community and the investors at Chemase, the CS said his office will organise a meeting with the Nandi County leadership, to iron out issues affecting the gold mines to ensure that the project benefits the community.
He asked the community to exercise tolerance and maintain peace, to attract more development in the area. “We want you to agree and speak with one voice, so that when we get other investors we bring them here,” he appealed. Joho added that the Ministry is determined to streamline operations in the mining sector for the country to reap maximum benefits from the abundant mineral deposits.
“I have no interest in your local politics here. All I want is to see work going on, so that the community reaps the potential benefits expected,” he said. Chemase/Chemelil Member of County Assembly (MCA), Albert Balala, said the issue has been infiltrated by politicians who were inciting the community against Karebe Gold Mining Company, which has invested heavily in the mines.
“This gold mine has been here since 1963, why did they wait that long until the investor moved in, is when they start fighting,” he said. Balala said the politicians were behind the rival company, urging the CS to intervene and ensure that operations resume for the benefit of the community.
Nandi Woman Representative, Cynthia Muge, asked the CS to push for the implementation of the Natural Resources Bill 2022, to help streamline the sector. The Bill, he said, holds the key to issues bedeviling Chemase gold mines and other mines across the country, adding that its implementation will guarantee the interests of both the investors and the community.
“This Bill will safeguard the interests of land owners and the community, as investors come in to explore the resources,” she said. William Chesire, a resident of Chemase, said the government must compensate the families who lost their loved ones due to the dispute.
He added that the Ministry must Institute urgent measures to address illegal mining and create a conducive environment for the investors to operate.