Heavily armed individuals raided a gold mining site owned by a private investor in Ramba village, Rarieda sub-county, stealing property of unknown value and causing significant damage. The incident left Amlight Resources Limited, the company owning the site, counting its losses following the attack.
Amos Baraza Mabonga, the company's director, stated on Wednesday, August 28, that he was informed about the attack on his mining site by a group of thugs allegedly sent by a competitor. Mabonga and his competitor have been embroiled in a long-running dispute over the site.
"This is not the first time my competitor has attacked and destroyed my property. I have lost property worth millions of shillings as a result of the unwarranted attacks. The first attack took place on January 25," said Mr. Mabonga. He called on local security authorities to take action against those responsible for the repeated attacks. "All this time, no action has been taken against him. When his thugs are arrested, he spends money to bail them out," he added.
The investor also highlighted a previous invasion that resulted in the death of two staff members. "It is sad that as investors in this community, we are fighting instead of concentrating on improving the standards of our hosts," he said. "The first time the hired thugs invaded the premises, two of my staff lost their lives. Sadly, no action was taken against them."
Mabonga expressed his frustration that his business continued to face attacks even after its operations were suspended by court order. He appealed to the government for assistance in protecting his property and workers.
Local residents and some of the company's workers, led by Charles Otieno, held a protest against the ongoing attacks and called for peaceful coexistence between the two rival investors. They accused unnamed authorities of being compromised and urged the government to intervene to ensure justice and order prevail.
Rarieda Sub-County Police Commander Sammy Olembakani assured the public that investigations were underway and arrests would soon be made. "The police and the DCI are on the case. It is not true to say that the police are not doing anything," said Olembakani. "Once the investigations are over, we will arrest all the perpetrators and bring them to book."
In response to the situation, lawyer Danstan Omari revealed that he had already filed an application in court to lift the order suspending the company's operations. He also expressed concern over the delay in action by security agencies. "Our laws protect everyone in this country. This is a local investor suffering at the hands of a foreign investor. Firstly, as a matter of urgency, I will take the matter to court to have the ban lifted," he said.
Omari added, "It is surprising that my client is being attacked and his property looted, yet his operations were stopped five months ago. This is a huge investment worth millions; it contributes millions in taxes to the Republic of Kenya. There are hundreds of youths who were employed here and with the operations stopped, their livelihoods are also affected."