Two Dead, Rifles Stolen as Police Clash with Miners
A violent clash at the Walikiti gold mining site in Dabel, Marsabit County, resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including a police officer, during a confrontation with approximately 3,000 miners. The miners forcibly entered the site, overpowering the police, who were pelted with stones and attacked with crude weapons.
Two people, including a police officer, were killed in a violent confrontation between security forces and gold miners at the Walikiti gold mining site in Dabel, Moyale, Marsabit County, on Friday. The incident occurred when a group of approximately 3,000 people forcibly entered the site, overpowering the police.
According to a police report, the altercation began when the group pelted the officers with stones, prompting them to regroup and attack the police with crude weapons before invading the site again. In the ensuing chaos, the attackers fired at the police, who responded but were outnumbered as they were being assaulted from multiple directions.
The deceased were identified as Constable George Mukoma of the Border Patrol Unit and a middle-aged civilian. The attackers also stole two G3 rifles with 40 rounds of ammunition from the slain officer and his seriously injured colleague.
The incident brings the total number of casualties at the Dabel Gold site to 23 since March, when then-Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki ordered the closure of the artisanal mining sites due to security concerns. Despite the vacation orders, the area has remained operational, with numerous allegations of police officers engaging in illegal gold business.
Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali recently admitted to having a hand in the transfer of the county commissioner and police commandant following numerous complaints from locals. The government is currently working on a plan to register locals in different cooperative societies for proper management of the site and smooth operation.
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