LODWAR, Kenya – The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has shut down more than 200 illegal gold mining sites along River Turkwel in Turkana County, citing widespread environmental destruction and failure to comply with licensing requirements.
In a statement, NEMA said the mining operations in the Kambi Karai and Lami Nyeusi areas of Sigor Constituency had been running without the mandatory environmental impact assessment (EIA) licences.
The crackdown follows growing public outcry over pollution and land degradation caused by unregulated mining.
“NEMA has today directed mining activities within the Kambi Karai and Lami Nyeusi region along River Turkwel in Sigor Constituency to stop further operations due to their negative environmental impacts,” the agency said.
The operations, according to NEMA, have left behind deep pits and polluted waters, rendering the river unsafe for domestic use.
The authority warned that only those sites that undergo environmental inspections and meet the required audit and decommissioning standards will be considered for licensing and reopening.
An EIA is a legal requirement for such extractive activities and is meant to assess the potential environmental, economic, and social impacts of a proposed project.
It is designed to ensure that development is carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner.
The suspension comes amid heightened scrutiny of informal mining across northern Kenya, where lax enforcement and poverty have driven communities to unsafe and environmentally damaging practices.
In a related incident in neighbouring West Pokot County, four miners were killed and several others injured on Saturday, June 7, after a gold mine collapsed in Turkwel.
The accident occurred when miners returned to the site late at night, unaware that the soil had become unstable due to earlier excavation.
West Pokot County Commissioner Khalif Abdullahi, who confirmed the deaths, linked the tragedy to illegal mining and criticised local leaders for allegedly inciting hostility against police officers who responded to the scene.
“Illegal mining continues to pose serious risks—not just to the environment, but to the lives of those involved,” he said.
