Teso South MP Emase wants the Interior CS to secure minerals at Alupe

Teso, Wednesday, May 24, 2023

KNA by Absalom Namwalo

Following an outcry by residents of Alupe in Teso South Sub County, area MP Mary Emase now wants the Interior CS Prof. Kithure Kidiki to secure the area from encroachers from a neighbouring country whom she said were mining gold illegally in Kenyan land.

Speaking at Alupe after the visit in the area, Emase has accused security officers in the area for turning a blind eye to the matter despite several complaints from residents on the on-going pollution on the land.

“When you visit Alupe along the border, you will find huge ditches scattered all over an area measuring more than five hectare of illegal goal miners from Uganda who carry out their activities at night with an aim at securing one of the most valuable minerals in the world,” said Emase.

The lawmaker now wants police to intensify patrol along the border to protect the residents from gold miners who are always armed, posing a big threat to lives of locals who can no longer cultivate their land for fear of being attacked.

“The miners from Uganda are always armed as they know they have encroached our land. Already, the Chinese Company doing underground mining in Uganda has caused cracks on many buildings on the Kenyan side, clear evidence of illegal mining on our side,” she added.

Last month, Busia Deputy Governor Arthur Odera launched the initiative of enacting a law through the County Assembly that will control mining especially of sand and gold to avoid degrading wetlands that are sources of water for residents and destroying habitat of aquatic animals.

Odera noted that sand mining has reduced the wetlands’ natural function of water-filtering, thereby harming aquatic life.

He said the miners have encroached on more than 40 per cent of wetlands at Alupe and Odioi areas in the name of gold and sand.

Emase now wants the government to gazette the Alupe area in Teso South and Bumutiri area as a mining area and streamline the industry to enable locals to benefit from the lucrative business.

Courtesy ; K. N. A