Mombasa begins identification process for artisanal, small-scale miners

Mombasa County has initiated an identification process to locate and document artisanal and small-scale miners within the county.

This aims to gather data on their population, equipment usage, registration status, and adherence to statutory regulations and guidelines.

The exercise being spearheaded by the Department of Water, Natural Resources and Climate Change Resilience has been conducted in three Sub-Counties so far; Likoni, Kisauni and Nyali where most mining activities are undertaken.

This comes as Bamburi Ward MCA Patrick Mbelle raised concerns about the closure of the Kashani Quarry by the Mombasa County Government, highlighting the lack of stakeholder engagement.

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He emphasised that the closure has had a detrimental impact on the livelihoods of quarry workers.

“The closure has negatively affected over 400 Quarry workers as it is their only source of livelihood,” Mbelle said.

Compliance

Chairperson Leila Nyache said the Department for Water, Natural Resources, Public Works, and Climate Change Resilience had shared a response with the committee regarding the temporary closure of the Kashani quarry and others in the county.

“The department has embarked on an identification exercise to identify artisanal and small-scale miners at the county with a view of obtaining their numbers, number of miners, mechanisation in use, registration status and compliance to the outlined statutory regulations and guidelines,” she said.

The Kisauni Sub-County identification process, which began last December, involved meetings with local leaders, miners, and department representatives.

“Once completed, this exercise will enable a geological assessment of existing quarries to determine their potential and the quantity of exploitable deposits, with due consideration for societal and environmental impacts,” she added.

The Department of Public Works noted the assessment report will offer recommendations on which quarries are suitable for ongoing exploitation and the appropriate machinery to utilise.

According to the department, artisanal and small-scale mining in the county operates without regulation or necessary guidelines, leading to tragic fatalities like those in Kashani.

The department is currently developing regulations that will undergo public consultation before being presented to the County Assembly for approval.