Abimbo accident should be a wake-up call to improve safety of miners

A few weeks ago, eight miners were trapped in an artisanal gold mine collapsed in Abimbo, Siaya County. While six were rescued, one succumbed and the fate of another is still unknown as rescue efforts have been left to his family and well-wishers.

This is not the first time an incident of this nature has occurred. In October 2021, two fatalities and several injuries were reported at the copper hill mine in Nyatike, Migori County. And around May the same year, another accident was reported at a mine in Ikolomani, Kakamega County, where five miners died while several others escaped with serious injuries.

Accidents in artisanal gold mines occur every year in Kenya. Most usually result in multiple fatalities and long-term injuries. The fact that the accidents are repeat occurrences and in some instances even recur in the same mines means that there is a failure to learn from experience. Reaction from authorities is usually knee-jerk and only results in the mines being closed for a short period, after which the miners go back without any changes. In most cases, it has been proven counterproductive to close the mines as most of these miners have no alternative sources of livelihood.

Artisanal gold mining is a significant source of livelihood for people in areas it is practiced. Reports by UNDP give a conservative figure of 250,000 people directly employed in artisanal gold mines while more than one million people depend on the sector for their livelihoods. Some miners are proud entrepreneurs while many others have no other alternatives.

The death of a miner, therefore, tends to provide grave economic and social problems including disruption of families, loss of livelihoods, and increased poverty. The need to improve safety conditions at mining sites cannot be overemphasised so as to ensure miners go to work and return home to their families safely. 

Artisanal mines are characterised by poorly developed underground workings due to the informal nature of the activity. The shafts and tunnels where the mining is done are to a large extent dug to solely access the gold-bearing rocks, nothing more.  It only takes a slight change in the conditions of the surrounding rocks and soils to trigger collapse.

These changes may include but not limited to; the beginning of a rainy season, vibrations from blasting and excessive mining etc. Critical mine construction considerations such as the geotechnical properties of rocks are far beyond the capabilities of most miners. Mine construction without geotechnical considerations is akin to building a civil structure on a poor foundation - the structure eventually collapses.

There is no doubt that artisanal gold mining is a significant source of employment as well as a significant supplement to agriculture as the major economic activity in the rural areas. The sector also has huge potential in contributing to the county’s exports and even gold reserves. The sector has however been neglected by post-colonial African governments turning it to a poverty-driven activity rather than a source of wealth for the Country.

Rather than the “sweep it under the carpet” tactics employed by government when such accidents occur, we should use the accidents as opportunities to focus on the sector and to learn from past mistakes. Accidents in mines are complex and require specialised rescue skills, skills that are not readily available in the country, leave alone artisanal mines in rural Kenya. The recently gazetted artisanal mining committees at the county levels provide great forum and structure where mine disaster response teams could be established and developed.

Further, these accidents need to be well documented through studies examining publicly available information on artisanal mining accidents to identify areas warranting reforms to ensure the sector’s sustainability. The study’s results would help improve stakeholder understanding of artisanal mine accidents and contribute to identifying priority areas warranting targeted interventions to improve safety.

Mr Komu is the Chairperson, Mining Engineers Society of Kenya