Two people died on Thursday when irate villagers stormed a company under construction in Lumba Kobong village in East Asembo ward, Rarieda sub-county, to oppose its operations.
The incident left several people nursing injuries, with a man of Chinese extraction who had earlier flashed his gun to scare away the villagers forced to take off at high speed to an unknown destination.
A few meters from the company, at a public participation meeting hosted by local assemblyman Gordon Onguru, disgruntled youths broke out into violence.
Equipped with their mining implements, the young people advanced toward the factory and commenced tearing down the wall, while a few of them scaled the wall, shocking the employees and managers of the enterprise.
The youths began clobbering and cutting anybody inside the facility as soon as they were inside.
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The villagers had previously voiced concerns that the Amlight Company's owners had not consulted them before building a wall and installing a gold processing facility nearby.
Further the villagers accused the company of using the back door to set up a base in the area, adding that as stakeholders, they had the right to know precisely how the company will conduct its activities, threats to the environment, and how it will tackle them.
A youth, Wycliff Ochieng Odindo, lamented that there was a likelihood for the company to use harmful chemicals that would affect them hence the need for both the company and government officials to come up and tell the public what exactly was going on.
Other members of the public lamented that the company was likely to bring in machines that will displace artisanal miners who have, for decades, benefited from mining activities.
“As artisanal miners, we expected to benefit from these natural resources for years and pass it over to our grandchildren and great grandchildren but once this company steps with machines and chemicals, we are doomed” said a villager, Everline Achieng.
However, the area MCA, Gordon Onguru said that the meeting was properly convened saying that he had invited both government and local mining companies, including Amlight co. Ltd officials to attend and shed light on their activities.
When Capital News contacted, Siaya County Police Commander Mr. Cleti Kimaiyo confirmed the incident, saying that a team of senior administration and police officers was on the ground.
“The Rarieda sub-county police commander, the sub county head of directorate of criminal investigations and the assistant county commission."
