Migori Governor Dr Ochillo Ayacko on Tuesday held a consultative meeting with artisanal miners in Migori County, several weeks after chaos over licensing and land ownership.
The meeting, held at the governor’s residence in Migori Town, brought together all mining stakeholders in Migori County to iron out recent animosities among the players.
Speaking to the press, Ayacko said that he held the meeting in response to the pleas from the artisanal miners, who wanted to consult with him with an aim of coming up with a lasting peace solution within the mining sector in the region.
He revealed that a major concern raised during the meeting was the delay in granting mining licenses to small-scale miners, which he said has caused them anxiety.
“The artisanal miners wanted to consult with me as their governor and I conceded to their call. We have discussed the issues on license delay and to sort out the land ownership issues,” said Ayacko.
Moreover, the governor condemned recent violence that was witnessed at the Macalder copper mines in September 2024, where properties worth millions of shillings were destroyed and several injuries reported.
During the chaos, the Governor was trapped within a bitter fight over the mining site and was saved by his security men who whisked him away from the centre of a chaotic meeting amid hails of stones and other crude weapons thrown by angry miners.
Ochilo outlined that they discussed the importance of exercising peace and maintaining law and order during misunderstandings, such as the ones witnessed in the recent past.
This is in addition to his calls for reconciliation pertaining to land, and consideration of their interests with their counterparts and the investors.
Mr. Kephas Ojuka who is the chairperson of the Migori county miners’ association (MIGMA) confirmed that they have been facing problems with acquiring the licenses to allow them to operate in the sites, prompting the reconciliatory meeting with the governor.
This, he noted, has been heavily contributed by the changes in the Act of 2016 in the new Cap 306. “We have been having problems with licensing of our businesses as a result of the 2016 mining act and envisaged in Cap 306 that completely ignores our interests in this sector,” explained Ojuka
The chairman of Artisanal miner’s committee Mr. Elly Oduro raised concern over the many pending court cases that have blocked them from acquiring licenses, leading to the myriad problems facing them in their daily activities.
“We are happy to have met with the governor who has raised our hopes about witnessing speedy conclusion of all the pending cases in court concerning artisanal mining.” said the chairman.
The governor also cleared his name on the allegations that he was collaborating with some foreigners of the Chinese origins to frustrate local artisanal miners by engineering a sell of the Copper Hill to the foreigners.
And this was the major course of the arguments within the community that plunged the governor’s visit to the Copper hill into chaos on the day he faced a heavy resistance from the local miners.
“We are happy and we invite the governor to continue to have dialogue with the people on matters mine because we have seen that all he wants is good for us contrary to the talks that he is for the sale of Copper Hill to the investors from China,” said the Copper Hill Sacco chairman Stephen Ayaka.
