by Haki Madini
A coalition promoting responsible mining
Our Stories
29 May 2018
Mr Misenya works with the county government of Migori as the director in charge of natural resources. We first interacted with him during our curtsey visits to his offices in Migori when we were looking for appointments to meet with the County Executive Committee member in his docket. We have also had forums with him attending ie the national dialogue forum for artisanal miners in Kakamega and during the stakeholder’s forums.
Mr Tom Misenya, making a presentation to the group leaders of miners in Migori County. Mr Misenya had the following to say in this forum:
“Before the coming of NCCK, in 2016, the mining sector was totally disorganized. We in the county government did not know how to engage with miners. But the coming of NCCK has helped reorganize the mining sector in Migori. It will be good when investors come and find us organized and ready for them. NCCK has come and trained the miners, taken some of them to other counties where mining is done to exchange ideas.”
The director also used the baseline survey report that was done by NCCK in Nyatike in the planning of the activities in the ministry. He noted that there is no organization that has ever documented mining work in Migori apart from NCCK. And this he highly commended NCCK.
Through Mr Misenya, NCCK was able to submit a written memo to the county government of Migori on the upcoming County Integrated Development Plan. During the group leader’s meeting, Mr Misenya submitted that they had included mining activities in the CIDP this was something that was not there in the previous one. “We have been in contact with NCCK, they have helped us with some of the proposed activities that can be included in the CIDP,” Tom said.
He also stated that they are in the process of developing a mining and minerals policy as an effort to domesticate the mining act 2016. This will help the county government put in place the requisite structures to help in managing mining. He requested NCCK to help in guiding on coming up with an artisanal mining policy in Migori county. He noted that through this policy, it will simplify the process of coming up with the artisanal miners' committee. He commended that the county government was exploring ways of regulating local gold buyers so that the miners are not exploited.