Pressure is mounting on the government to address alleged illegal gold mining along River Yala after senators demanded the removal of foreign nationals accused of carrying out unlawful extraction activities.
During a Senate sitting on Wednesday, August 5, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale claimed that Chinese nationals were operating an illegal gold dredging venture in the river and accused some local administrators of protecting those involved.
Khalwale called on Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo to direct chiefs and assistant chiefs in the area to stop shielding the alleged operators and ensure the law is enforced.
“I want to tell the PS in charge of security, Raymond Omollo, to instruct assistant chiefs and chiefs to stop protecting those foreigners, because at the end of seven days from today, those foreigners will not be allowed to be in that river,” Khalwale said.
The seven-day ultimatum comes amid claims that a dredging vessel has been extracting gold from River Yala without the required mining licence, environmental approvals or legal authority to operate in the waterway.
The allegations have renewed concerns over illegal mining activities in the area and prompted calls for swift government intervention.
Previously, Mining Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai said government officials would visit the site to establish the facts surrounding the claims and take appropriate action against anyone found to be operating in violation of court orders or mining regulations.
