One dead, five injured in Kakamega mine collapse as angry crowd torches site

A gold mine in Kakamega./FILE

A 21-year-old man died and five others were injured after a gold mining shaft collapsed in the Markleaf area of Kakamega County, triggering chaos that saw an angry crowd burn down a nearby mining site.

This is the latest such incident at a gold mine site amid efforts to address the rising trend of deaths.

Officials say there is persistent defiance from miners, who see the sites as a source of livelihood.

According to police, the latest incident occurred on Sunday evening at an artisanal gold mining site. Police said the report was made by a landlord who alerted authorities that the mine had collapsed with several people trapped inside.

Police established that 36 miners were inside the shaft when the collapse occurred. Witnesses said 30 of them managed to escape unhurt.

Five miners sustained injuries and were rushed to Mukumu Mission Hospital, where they are receiving treatment. Medical staff said the victims suffered body pains and bruises but were in stable condition.

However, Reagan Muchesia, 21, succumbed to injuries sustained during the collapse.

Police said the incident sparked anger among residents and other miners, who blamed poor safety conditions. In retaliation, members of the public set fire to another gold mining site, destroying property of unknown value.

Police were called to the scene to restore order amid the chaos. Witnesses said officers were forced to intervene, during which firearms were discharged.

Police fired several shots into the air to restore order. During the confrontation, a police officer sustained an injury to his right hand. He was treated at Mukumu Mission Hospital and later discharged in fair condition.

The body of the deceased was moved to Mukumu Nursing Home Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Authorities have launched investigations into the collapse as concerns grow over safety standards at informal gold mining sites in Kakamega County.

Meanwhile, a 36-year-old mine manager died after drowning inside a deep gold mine shaft in Kehancha Township, Kuria West Sub-county, Migori County.

According to police at Kehancha Police Station, the incident was reported on Sunday evening following a drowning inside a mine located in the Kaa na Watu area.

Police officers, together with detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Kuria West, visited the scene after receiving the report from the owner of the mine.

Preliminary investigations established that the mine, which is operated by Pius Magaigwa Mwita, had accumulated a large amount of water inside the shaft.

At around 2:00pm, the mine manager, Ali Elias Mwita, descended into the mine—estimated to be about 80 metres deep—to retrieve a motor pump used to drain water from the shaft.

However, when he attempted to climb back up, other workers reportedly could not see him due to the large volume of water that had filled the mine.

The workers later used water pumps to drain the shaft and eventually discovered that Mwita had drowned.

Police processed the scene, and the body of the deceased was retrieved from the mine.

The remains were moved to Kehancha Sub-County Hospital Mortuary, where they are awaiting a post-mortem examination.