Two miners were killed when the walls of an underground gold mine caved in on them in Ikolomani, Kakamega County.
The victims, aged 38 and 39, died of suffocation due to a lack of oxygen after being buried alive in the 150-foot-long gold mine.
According to Ikolomani miner Evans Museve, one of the deceased, a foreman, entered the mine to inspect the formation of a hole following the dewatering and lowering of the water table.
When he didn’t return promptly, the second man, an operator, came in to check on him.
Patrick Misango, a colleague of the two deceased men, emphasised the need for improved mining equipment and safety measures.
“The government should deploy better mining equipment because these men tragically lost their lives because of the lack of them. This incident could have been avoided,” he said.
Furthermore, the chairman of the Shinyalu and Ikolomani gold miners, Samwel Njomo, expressed his disappointment with the Government’s lack of support.
“We have been asking the government to help us; however, we have always been met by delay. They (the government) are always fast in imposing tax on us, yet they never take time to fix roads that lead to the goldmines,” Njomo remarked.
“I implore the county government to help us obtain enough rescue machines after such incidents occur.”
Rose Ayuma, the mother of one of the victims, expressed her heartbreak upon learning of her son’s fate.
“My son was the only boy and my only hope. I depended on him to help sustain my living,” she stated.
She emphasised the financial strain this loss has placed on her family and begged for help to support her late son’s wife and two children.
Frustration has grown among miners and residents alike, with some questioning the government’s priorities, particularly in demanding licence fees while failing to provide adequate assistance.
“We are now wondering if all they are after is money and not the deliverance of aid,” Niva Maiva, a resident said.
Unfortunately, this is not the first mining accident in Ikolomani, as a similar incident occurred in May of this year, killing two diggers.
They are now pleading with Governor Fernandes Barasa to intervene.
The bodies of the two victims have been taken to the mortuary at Kakamega General Hospital.
