Ikolomani miners defy push to leave as gold remains their lifeline
By Kenneth Mwenda, December 7, 2025Tension is still high in Ikolomani after local miners insisted they will not leave their ancestral land despite a planned multi-billion-shilling gold mining project.
Speaking on Sunday, December 7, 2025, several residents said the mines remain their only source of income and the reason their families survive.
For many, gold mining is not just work, it is the foundation of their livelihoods and the only way they can provide for their children. Emmanuel Musula, a miner, said the community depends fully on the small deposits they extract every day.
“Asubuhi mi uamka mapema around 4 kutafuta riziki. Na hii ndio kazi yetu. Hii ikienda hakuna penye tutakula. Mimi niko na watoto watatu, na nategemea hii kazi kuwasomesha na kuwalisha,” he said.
Other residents share the same fears. Jeniffer Nanjala, who also works at the mines, said the job lifted her family from hardship and allowed her to give her children a decent place to live.
“Hii kazi nilikuwa sina nyumba, imefanya nikapata nyumba. Nilikuwa watoto wangu hawana mahali pa kulala walikuwa wanalala kwa majirani, hii kazi imeniwezesha nimewajengea nyumba, alafu pia sisi hatuwezi lala njaa,” she said.
Generations in Ikolomani have depended on the land for survival. For miner Geoffrey Ashiku, the push to relocate families goes against their history and inheritance.
“Hii shamba ni ya mababu zetu, ndio walituachia. Ile gold yenye iko chini pale ndio tunakula kidogo kidogo. Iko kama storage yetu ya hapa Ikolomani,” he said.
Tension prompts intervention
Their remarks come as Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa moves to calm the unrest following deadly clashes over the proposed extraction of gold worth an estimated Ksh680 billion. The violence erupted during a meeting convened by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), where residents expressed fears over the relocation of more than 800 households.
Four people have died in the confrontations between police and residents. Several others were injured, including two police officers who were attacked during the chaos. Protesters blocked roads as tension grew across the area, drawing in local leaders who demanded the suspension of the project.
On Saturday, December 6, 2025, Governor Barasa urged the investor, Shanta Gold, to adopt modern mining technology that would allow extraction without moving families. He said the county supports mining but not at the expense of residents’ rights.
“Msimamo yangu, it has always been for the people of Ikolomani kwa sababu. There is no way you can get an investor who is coming to relocate people,” he said. “Nowadays, we have important technology in mining. We must have a win-win situation because that investor, Shanta Gold, we as a county, we support mining, but we don’t support moving people without consultation.”
Barasa also warned leaders against politicising the matter. He encouraged dialogue between the community, the county government and the investor to avoid further loss of life.
“I have challenged Shanta Gold to use modern methods to mine in Ikolomani without moving the people, and we should not politicise the issue,” he said.