The Gold Mines of Bushiangala in Ikolomani Constituency

Bushiangala is a little known village. In fact, it might only be known among those who stay in it and perhaps among the few residents of Ikolomani Constituency in Kakamega County.

The village is situated along the main rough road that runs from Sigalagala to Bukura and for those whose these two names, Sigalagala and Bukura seems unfamiliar and makes no sense, then talk of from Sigalagala Polytechnic to Bukura Agricultural College and if still that does not make any sense then you have no other choice but to consult the newly developed geographical county map.

Despite the fact the Bushiangala village is little known, the village carries a unique treasure that even the indigenous inhabitants of this village, when talking about it, only do it in low and hashed tones. The village has Gold. Yes, Gold, the most expensive and most precious mineral is found in Bushiangala village.

It is not easy to realize the presence of gold in this village though. As the old antiquated Toyota bus that I had boarded coughed and struggled to drop each and every passenger at their own destinations, I realized the presence of groups of men and women going about with their own daily chores. Here and there some danced to the melodious tune of the famous Isukuti dance while some were busy discussing the just completed bullfighting match.

Alighting at Bushiangala Junction, on the way to a little stretch towards Bushiangala Secondary School, small heaps of white soils comes in view at a distance. On listening keenly, one too realizes a calculated drop of a sledge, a hummer and a jembe on a rather hard rock beneath.

Moving closer, reveals eleven young men stripped to the waist and sweating almost everywhere. These are the self-appointed ‘professional’ gold miners of Bushiangala. The young men are very creative. The hole is as deep as the eyes can see because the only thing one sees inside is darkness and the only thing one hears from the surface is the sound of the tools as they converse with the rock underground.

“Do you want to buy gold? We haven’t found any yet. Maybe you will have to wait.” One of the six young men on the surface, a smiling tall looking man but frail in body structure said as soon as he saw me.

I introduced myself as a journalist and it took a long time for me to convince them that I was not there to expose the mines to the outside world for them to be ‘snatched’ away from them by the ‘government.’

They finally agree to talk to me on the condition that I do not take any picture. The business of finding gold as I came to learn is very risky for the residents of this village. They have to manually dig a hole into the ground. The holes are too deep and with insufficient supply of fresh air. To handle this, the young men descent into the hole with green leaves tied around their waists and forehead, the point being that plants release oxygen during the day and take in carbon dioxide.

“The work is too risky but the stomach does not understand such things. We just must eat and to do that we just must work.” Said the young man, who wished never to be named to reasons better known to himself.

Though they usually get little deposits of gold from these mines, but the little they get is usually enough to meet their   daily needs.

One gram of gold is sold to middlemen at 3000 shillings, and the mentioning of a gram may seem too little but upon seeing tones of soils in which the one gram is extracted, it is a job worth tiring.

Their desire is for the County Government of Kakamega to realize the huge economic potential that lies in this village and put them in good use.

They have one worry though, once the county government realizes this, it might take up the whole project, use the machines and take away their only source of livelihood. They only wish to continue with their own mining with the only thing they hope to get from the county government is an assistance to enable them sell their gold at a better price.

As I board my bus back, one question that keeps on ringing in my mind is, why the people in this village are still among the poorest and yet their land has such coveted treasure.