Mining Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi has directed that all unlicensed miners in Migori to be penalised on all unpaid royalties from their illegal mining.
Mwangi who was speaking during an impromptu visit and crackdown on illegal mining activities in Migori County said the government is going to sum-up all tons of minerals mined illegally and impose charges for every ton.
“We are going to conduct an comprehensive empirical calculation on all minerals mined illegally and charge unpaid royalties per ton, for the entire period they have not complied,” said Mwangi.
He further stated that those who shall be found to be involved in illegal mining, will find it difficult to be issued with licenses even after complying, noting that such people are only interested in illegal operations and shall be treated as same.
The PS however refuted claims that the government is fighting investors, adding that they are only interested in illegal miners, who are not following the law.
He informed that those not complying and evading paying relevant royalties, both the government and the community around the mining areas, are losing a lot.
“If they pay royalties, 10pc of royalties to the community, 20pc to the county and 70pc is retained by the national government,” he explained.
Concurrently, despite missing the supposedly illegal miners at the site, he downplayed the possibility of sabotage, where the suspected illegal miners are tipped-off on potential arrest and flee the site.
The PS said they were just lucky not to be found at the sites and all the government agencies are working together, to ensure there is full compliance with the law.
“Even though they have disappeared for today, we have found the equipment and the tilling heaped here, they will not disappear forever unless they forfeit this equipment for the government,” he stated.
Mr. Mwangi emphasised that the government is working on a system that will help to monitor any mining operation in the country remotely, without having mining officers going to the ground.
This, he said, is in line with the Department’s bid to curb future encroachment into the mining activities without a legal requirement.
The crackdown has been an ongoing activity across the country, where the PS revealed that all mining officers in the country are visiting illegal mining sites to enforce compliance.
In Migori the PS and other mining officers visited five mining sites that were suspected to be operating without licenses.