The verdict on whether or not the Kakamega county assembly will suspend the proposed mining of the Sh680 billion gold in Ikolomani subcounty will be known in the next two weeks.

The county assembly's committee on environment, natural resources, energy, water and climate change on Thursday heard two petitions filed by civil society organisations against the proposed project by the Shanta Gold Company at Malinya Stadium.

Committee chairman Ali Okomba gave the petitioners and Shanta Gold until Friday to submit their final submissions before it retreats to write its report.

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“We’ve listened to both sides on issues raised and we will write our report which will be ready in the next two weeks. We will share the report with both parties,” Okomba said.

Shanta Gold sustainability and corporate affairs manager Washington Ogutu said the company expects a favourable verdict.

“We don’t look at this as a petition but an opportunity to engage and explain ourselves on most of the misinformation that has been going on out there,” Ogutu said.

He said the petitions were mostly about issues that are often addressed in the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report which they explained to the petitioners.

“Our hope is that the assembly will be objective enough to make a decision based on the information we’ve given and the evidence we’ll provide,” he said.

The petitioners cited lack of artisanal mining licensing, inadequate public participation and disclosure, risk of displacement and eviction and environmental and health concerns, threat to cultural heritage and economic displacement as grounds for the petition.

The petitioners want county assembly to recommend suspension of the proposed mining pending stakeholder engagement, issuance of artisanal mining permits to local miners, compensation and benefit-sharing and full disclosure of environmental and social impact.

They want the investor to establish, develop and implement a fair, transparent, and resettlement plan in accordance with the law and human rights standards, sustainable mining practices and protection of cultural heritage.

They have also prayed for formal engagement and binding agreements between Shanta Gold Company Limited and local mining co-operatives, including employment and revenue transparency and environmental protection measures.

Meanwhile, Kakamega MCAs were inducted on the legal framework for the extraction of natural resources and petition processing in a session attended by Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho and PS Harry Kimtai on Friday.

“We should start thinking about how Kakamega county government can increase its own revenue collection so that it achieves a budget surplus to initiate development and transform the livelihoods of our people,” Joho said.

He said Kakamega will earn Sh6.8 billion from gold mining in the Isulu-Bushiangala area and transform livelihoods, assuring artisanal miners of protection once Shanta Gold begins mining.

“Artisanal miners are protected by law. They have the right to mine too, including protection from exploitation by middlemen. The government has elaborate plans to support them by establishing aggregation and market centers,” he added.

Kimtai, said the induction aims to engage and build capacity among the people’s representatives.