More police officers sent to Marsabit gold mines after clashes leave six dead
By Waweru Wairimu |
County Police Commander Leonard Kimaiyo revealed that all the officers who previously manned the sites had been withdrawn and new contingents deployed.
More police officers have been deployed to Hilo gold mines in Moyale, Marsabit County following recent violent confrontations between the law enforcers and illegal miners that saw six people, including a police officer, killed and several injured in five days.
Two incidents happened between July 14 and July 19, with the latest claiming the lives of Constable George Mukoma from the Border Patrol Unit and a civilian.
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The officer's G3 rifle, loaded with 20 bullets, was also stolen during the clash that occurred after about 3,000 illegal miners tried to enter the Hillo Walikiti gold mine forcefully and started pelting stones at the officers who were guarding the site.
County Police Commander Leonard Kimaiyo revealed that all the officers who previously manned the sites had been withdrawn and new contingents deployed.
"We have increased the number of police officers guarding the gold mines," the police boss told Marsabit's Radio Jangwani FM.
This is amid ongoing efforts by detectives to track down the suspect who stole the dead officer’s firearm.
Security officers were deployed to enforce the ban immediately after it took effect on March 14, with the sites being described as dangerous and disturbed.
The ban, the government said, was to prevent the escalation of violence and criminal activities in the area, ostensibly due to a spate of serious security breaches.
Cases of rape, defilement, and gender-based violence had been reported at the sites, and the government said armed criminals were facilitating trade in narcotics in the area.
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