The body of a miner has been retrieved seven months after a mine caved in, trapping him and nine others.
Tom Okwach was trapped after Abimbo Gold mine in Bondo collapsed in December of last year.
Okwach is the second casualty after eight of his colleagues were safely retrieved.
The miners were trapped nearly 20 feet from the mining chambers entrance.
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One of the survivors said he had previously reported a quake while within the shaft but had been ignored since he was inexperienced.
After six days, three of the survivors were discovered alive.The three were in constant communication with the rescuers.
A week later, Okwach could not be reached, said state officials and local miners.
Okwach’s mother Joyce Oluoch had hoped that he would be saved.
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“Work is on but has been sluggish. My son has not been retrieved and we are very afraid. Let anyone who can help me do so for me to have my son back,” she told the Star in January.
Stephen Aliwa, Okwach’s brother, expressed continued optimism that his brother would be discovered alive.
The majority of the locals who were aiding the rescue effort eventually became weary.
“Contrary to what we are hearing, no money has come from the county. We have suffered a lot in the last three weeks. We have had to look for money and pay for excavation, buy fuel and food that the volunteer rescuers have been eating. The family is in serious debt,” Aliwa told the daily.
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George Onyango, the chief officer of Siaya Administration and Governance, stated that Sh6.37 million had been granted for use in the rescue operation.
“The amount was approved by the County Disaster Management Committee a week ago, but we do not give it to the family,” he said.
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