This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
Gold mining has become a lucrative economic activity in Kenya's North Rift region, attracting youth who have abandoned cattle rustling and banditry.
According to gold miner Peter Kichana, the business has played a critical role in poverty reduction and rural development in the region.
"Both men and women engage in mining because they earn more than those working in agriculture alone. Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activities have been a significant source of employment for residents," Kichana said in an interview with Smart Company.
The activities are concentrated around Weiwei, River Muruny, Alale, Narwomoru, Nyangaita, Masol, Ortum, and Turkwel in West Pokot County, and Naduat, Lomaguro, Atereka, and Nakareareka in neighbouring Turkana County.
Residents use crude tools such as hoes, axes, and basins to extract the mineral, especially from rivers.
A gramme of gold goes for Sh5,300 after buying it at Sh4,800 from miners, Kichana said.
"Some gold is being bought by other nationalities from Juba, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Dubai, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda," he added.
West Pokot Executive member for Trade, Industrialisation, Investment, and Cooperative Development Francis Kitalawiyan urged residents to form cooperatives to acquire equipment and find a better market for their gold.
"I'm organising for a stakeholders forum to enable the miners to forge a way forward and borrow a leaf from other counties who have better practices and are getting value from the minerals," Mr Kitalawiyan said.
