By John Thiongo
WEST POKOT, Kenya — Kenyan authorities have shut down more than 200 illegal gold mining sites in the country’s northwestern region, as a new international report warns that the country has become a critical hub for smuggled gold flowing out of conflict zones in Central Africa.
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), alongside county enforcement units, began operations last week along the Turkwel River in West Pokot County, targeting unlicensed sites in Kambi Karai and Lami Nyeusi.
Officials say the mines, which lacked environmental approval and had no rehabilitation plans, were degrading riverbanks and polluting local ecosystems.
“These activities pose serious risks to both the environment and public safety,” said NEMA Director General Mamo Boru.
“Operations will only resume if miners fulfill regulatory conditions, including environmental impact assessments and proper decommissioning procedures.”
The closure comes amid growing scrutiny of Kenya’s role in the regional gold trade, after a damning report by SwissAid identified the country as a key transit route for conflict gold sourced from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the report, Kenya officially exported 672 kilograms of gold in 2023. However, analysts estimate that the actual quantity of gold passing through the country could exceed two tonnes annually — the majority of it unaccounted for in government records.
“Kenya has become a laundering point for gold from war-torn areas,” said Thomas Glauser, one of the authors of the SwissAid report.
“This not only fuels regional conflict but also deprives governments of revenue and emboldens criminal syndicates.”
In remote parts of West Pokot and Turkana counties, where state presence is thin and poverty is widespread, gold mining has long been an informal economic lifeline.
But the unregulated rush has drawn opportunists, foreign buyers, and shadowy middlemen into the supply chain — often at the expense of environmental and labor standards.
Local community leaders have expressed concern over the abrupt shutdowns. “People depend on this for survival,” said Simon Lokato, a village elder in Lami Nyeusi.
“We understand the environmental issues, but the government must offer alternatives.”
Authorities say the crackdown is only the first phase of a broader national compliance campaign, and efforts are underway to train artisanal miners and formalize operations under Kenya’s Mining Act.
Meanwhile, anti-smuggling units from the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are reportedly stepping up surveillance at border points, including Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where several illicit gold shipments were intercepted earlier this year.
“The intersection of environmental crime and transnational smuggling is becoming increasingly clear,” said a senior Interior Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“We cannot afford to ignore the national security implications.”
As the dust settles in the rugged valleys of West Pokot, many in the community wait anxiously to see whether the government’s promises of reform will deliver more than just closures.
