Cattle rearers in Kenya blame gold leaching for animal deaths

By Nneka Nwogwugwu

Cattle rearers in Kenya have blamed local gold leaching sites that using sodium cyanide, a poisonous chemical used in gold prospecting.

The indigenes are demanding closure of the leaching plant, saying that they lost more animals in September.

“We depend on this stream for all our domestic use due to water scarcity in the area and we risk losing lives if drastic measures are not taken,” a resident said.

The local gold leaching sites use sodium cyanide, a poisonous chemical used in gold prospecting, which finds its way into nearby streams whenever there is a downpour since most leaching sites lack proper disposal mechanisms.

Following the recent incident, the government has launched investigations into the operations of 150 gold leaching sites in the county.

The National Environment Complaints Committee (NECC) has already visited Kowuor village. NECC Secretary John Chumo said: “We received the complaints and there are several government bodies carrying out investigations. Once the reports are out, we are considering taking legal action against the firm,” Mr Chumo said.

The plant’s proprietors declined to comment, saying the matter was under investigation.

“We won’t allow investors to continue endangering people’s lives,” Mr Chumo said, adding they would seek legal redress for the affected residents.

Nyatike Sub-county Commissioner Paul Langat said they took samples from the affected animals, water and soil samples and results are yet to come out.

Both Mr Chumo and Mr Langat said the site proprietors had been given a deadline to build a perimeter wall to prevent animals from accessing the site. They are also required to build a water pan lined with polythene to prevent seepage to manage liquid and solid waste.