Vihiga’s youth determined search for gold

One of the pits used for mining gold deposits in Viyalo, Vihiga County. Despite the risks associated with going deep into mines in search of minerals, young people in Vihiga County will stop at nothing in their quest to find gold. (PHOTO: ERIC LUNGAI/ STANDARD)

Despite the risks associated with going deep into mines in search of minerals, young people in Vihiga County will stop at nothing in their quest to find gold. The chairperson of one of the pits used for mining, Mark Bululu, says some of these sites have been in existence since 1950 and have been handed over from one generation to the next.

“People have been extracting gold from these pits for many years, although they have been neglected by leaders,” says Bululu.

More than six wide pits have been dug at Viyalo, where teams of up to 200 people work a single mine.

Bululu says residents take all the risks only to have to deal with brokers who buy the gold cheaply. These brokers often buy 100 grams, collected over a long period of time for Sh20,000 which is way below their expectation.

“Apart from these poor earning, other challenges we face include lack of pumps to get water out of the pits, and occasional landslides,” he says.

Bululu notes that at the depths they go, the heat is unbearable for humans, and air conditioning is required for the safety of workers, but this is not available.

He notes that at least every year, a miner loses his life in the pits, due to landslides.

But despite the gloom and doom associated with this type of work, residents are not about to give up their quest to dig for gold.

“You get used to it with time, although at first it can be very tough and frightening to go into a pit looking for something you are not sure exists. But, everything in life is a risk,” says Paul Makamu, a worker at one of the sites at Muhudu.

Deep into the dark and scary pits, generator-powered bulbs light the way, while leaves are strewn on the floor to help aerate them. Sometimes, rain water fills the pits and have to be pumped out, which is very tiresome without proper pumps.

These youth believe with proper tools and expert advise, their quest inside these gold mine would be more productive.

“We do not even know how deep these gold deposits are. Perhaps if we had some experts to assess the area, we could have a better picture and know where to concentrate our efforts,” Makamu says.