The mining community was plunged into mourning as two gold miners lost their lives when the unforgiving walls of an underground gold mine suddenly caved in on them in Ikolomani, Kakamega County.
The victims, both in their late thirties, met a suffocating end as they were buried alive within the unforgiving depths of the 150-foot-long gold mine. The lack of oxygen beneath the earth’s surface sealed their fate.
According to accounts from fellow miner Evans Museve, one of the deceased, who served as a foreman, entered the mine to assess a hole’s formation following a dewatering operation and a decrease in the water table.
When he failed to return as expected, the second miner, an operator, courageously ventured in to check on his colleague.
Patrick Misango, a colleague of the two fallen men, voiced the urgent need for enhanced mining equipment and more robust safety protocols.
He lamented, “The government should deploy better mining equipment because these men tragically lost their lives due to the lack of such equipment. This incident could have been avoided.”
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Samwel Njomo, chairman of the Shinyalu and Ikolomani gold miners, expressed his frustration with the government’s perceived lack of support.
He criticized the government for swift tax imposition while neglecting critical infrastructure, such as roads leading to the goldmines.
Rose Ayuma, a grieving mother, tearfully recounted her devastation upon learning of her son’s tragic fate.
She emphasized the financial burden this loss had imposed on her family and earnestly pleaded for assistance to support her late son’s wife and two young children.
Frustration has rippled through the mining community and local residents, who question the government’s priorities.
Demands for license fees persist, while substantial assistance remains elusive. “We are now wondering if all they are after is money and not the deliverance of aid,” remarked one resident.
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Regrettably, this incident is not an isolated occurrence in Ikolomani, as a similar mining accident claimed two lives in May of the same year, deepening concerns about the safety of miners and the urgency of government intervention.
