Residents call on government to arrest MCA over killings

Siaya,

Saturday, January 27, 2024

KNA by Philip Onyango

A section of East Asembo ward residents are calling on the government to arrest and charge their Member of the County Assembly, blaming him for the violence that rocked a gold mining site, leading to the death of two people.

According to the residents, the two would not have died had the MCA, Gordon Onguru, not called for a public participation meeting to discuss the operations of a new mining company in the area.

Speaking to journalists at Kamalumbe village in North Ramba sub-location, Rarieda sub-county, where they held demonstrations against the organizers and perpetrators of the attack, the residents challenged the police to ensure that the legislator faced appropriate charges.

On Thursday, two people lost their lives when irate villagers stormed a company under construction in the Rarieda sub-county to oppose its operations.

The incident, that occurred in the neighbouring Lumba Kobong’ village left several people nursing injuries, with a man of Chinese extraction who had earlier flashed his gun to scare away the villagers was forced to take off at high speed to an unknown destination.

Trouble started when agitated youths stormed out of a public participation meeting organized by Onguru a few metres from the company.

 Armed with their mining tools, the youths marched to the factory and started demolishing the wall, as some climbed over, holding hostage the company workers and their bosses by surprise.

 Once inside, the youths started attacking whoever was in the compound, clobbering and slashing them.

The villagers had earlier expressed concern that they had not been engaged by the proprietors of Amlight Company Limited which had erected a wall to put up a gold processing plant in the area.

Speaker after speaker accused the company of using the back door to set up base in the area, adding that as stakeholders, they had the right to know exactly how the company would conduct its activities, and mitigate threats to the environment.

 Onguru said that the meeting was properly convened adding that he had invited both government and local mining companies, including Amlight Co. Ltd officials to attend and shed light on their activities.

Siaya County Police Commander Mr. Cleti Kimaiyo said that the police had launched a manhunt for the MCA.

Kimaiyo said they have established that much as the local community supports the existence of the two gold mining companies in the area, and that the investors were against each other.

He said that they were also investigating whether any of the two investors played a role in the skirmishes.

Kimaiyo called for calm in the area and urged the mining sector stakeholders to seek solutions from relevant government departments and agencies whenever they have challenges.

Courtesy; KNA