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[Hold] 7 more Ethiopians arrested at closed Moyale gold mine

Three senior officials from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) have been arrested over the manufacturing and distribution of fake fertilisers to farmers in the country.

By Hanifa Adan | 27 Mar 2024

Police seized four generators, a grinder, two drilling machines, a rope, a bucket, and other excavation tools

Seven Ethiopians have been arrested while attempting to reach a shut gold mine in Moyale, Marsabit County, near the Kenya-Ethiopia border.

Police said they met the group on Monday while on patrol along the Moyale-Dabel Road. They arrested them and seized four generators, a grinder, two drilling machines, a rope, a bucket, and other excavation tools

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The detainees were taken to the Moyale Police Station pending arraignment for offences including contravening the Public Order Act, illegal mining, and being in Kenya illegally.

A day ago, five Ethiopians, among them two women, were arrested at the same gold mine by police officers who were patrolling the Hilo site.

These arrests followed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kiture Kindiki's recent visit to the area, during which he ordered the closure of gold mining sites in Marsabit, classing them as dangerous zones after fatal clashes.

Four individuals are currently hospitalised due to injuries sustained in skirmishes over control of the mining sites.

Kindiki flew to Dabel Artisinal Mining Sites within the Golbo Division of Marsabit and announced measures to arrest the escalation of violence and other criminal activities in the area.

The area has been rife with armed criminals facilitating trade in narcotic drugs, and seven people, including two foreigners, were killed this week in gang rivalries among illegal artisan miners on site. Cases of rape, defilement and gender-based violence have been booked, Kindiki said.

The CS further announced stringent measures to address the escalating violence and criminal activities in the region, including the deployment of a special team from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

Effective March 14, 2024, the Dabel Artisanal Mining Sites were declared dangerous and closed for 30 days, with access prohibited without written authorisation from the Marsabit county police commander.

The move was in line with Section 8(1) of the Public Order Act, Cap 56 of the Laws of Kenya, and Section 106(1) of the National Police Service Act.