Two Women Killed After Gold Mine Site Collapses in Siaya 

Two women died and five other miners were been left injured after a gold mine collapsed in Alego-Usonga sub-county, Siaya County.

Police said Maureen Anyango, 28, and Beryl Atieno, 40, died on Saturday evening after the mining shaft collapsed and buried them alive.

Siaya County Police Commander Cleti Kimaiyo said four other miners were also buried under the debris but were rescued.

The injured were rescued by members of public and rushed to Siaya County referral hospital for treatment.

This is the latest such incident that have affected gold mine sites in recent past leaving a trail of deaths. The other affected sites include Migori, Vihiga, Kakamega and West Pokot.

The sites are among many discovered in the country and where residents venture to make a living.

Officials however say the tunnels where the miners venture are unsafe for their operations.

The officials said the miners were using heavy machines to crush stones in their artisanal activities, overlooking the environmental impact.

As part of efforts to address the menace, government officials have always directed those involved in mining activities to stop operations for the National Environmental Management Authority to conduct an environmental impact assessment to give the ecological guidelines before mining operations can resume.

Nema officials were directed to carry out the environmental impact assessment and give reports at the sites as part of efforts to address the safety measures.

The gold miners are also ordered to seek licenses from all the relevant government authorities before embarking on the work.

They have been told to stop using heavy machinery at the sites.

These machineries make the sites weak and unsafe for the miners.

The majority of the gold mining activities are done by small and medium enterprise miners who have been exposed to unsafe practices in the mining extraction processes.

Those engaged in extracting the precious mineral have always defied government bans on mining, especially during rainy seasons arguing that it is the only activity in the region that enables them to put food on the table.