By Anthony Zoka
Boyani residents in Rabai Kilifi County have threatened to halt the operation of a Chinese firm that has initiated mining of marram for the ongoing construction of the Mombasa – Nairobi highway.
According to the residents the exercise is not only a health hazard to them but also heavy trucks are making their road connecting Kokotoni and Jimba unusable.
Speaking at a public participation baraza at Boyani Primary School, Elizabeth Malombo, noted that they were yet to benefit with the mining activities in the area.
“We residents of Kaliang’ombe sub location don’t see the benefit of these quarries around us, instead they make us suffer. They normally operate at night and use explosives which is against what they said earlier. This has to stop or else we will forcefully stop their operations.” Said Malombo.
She added saying that youth in the area thought the mining activity would create employment opportunities in the area but that’s not the case; they only operate at night with locals having no one to ask for a job during the day.
However, Rabai location Chief, Antony Jao, admitted that Boyani and Kaliang’ombe residents have been living under a difficult environment with some residents forced to vacate their homes due mining activities in the area.
According to Chief Jao, despite officials from the National Environment Management Authority with the office of the ACC to assess the damage by explosives by some mining activities, residents are yet to have their plight addressed.
Similar sentiments were shared by the chairperson of KV Quarry community committee, Ustadh Rashid Athman, who revealed that most investors don’t want to involve the community in their operation.
The law requires all community committees to be gazetted for them to have a legal framework to engage the mining companies and ensure the society around gets a share of the profit.
“Only KV has entered into agreement with the community, however the committee is not gazetted. The investors don’t want to gazette the committees as they will have to sign and have a look at their financial report which will reveal to the community how the company has made profit and what amount is being channeled to the community benefit.” Noted Athman
Addressing the residents, Rabai MP, Antony Kenga, assured Boyani and Kaliang’ombe residents that all is not lost.
Kenga maintained that there are legal ways to compel the investors to listen to the community.
Adding that, “law allows us to have 10% of the profit that is being channeled to the government to directly impact our lives here at Kaliang’ombe and we will make sure this happens.”
The legislature said that if need be he will liaise with CS for mining Hassan Joho, to ensure the investors comply with the available legal requirements to have Rabai residents have peace in the presence of investors.
