Turkana gold rush exposes fight over mining licences

• A battle is unfolding above ground over who controls the goldfields, who gets to mine and who stands to benefit from Turkana’s underground wealth.
• There is fear among miners and residents that the growing commercial interest could push them out of areas they have relied on for their livelihoods.

Deep beneath Turkana’s rocky terrain, hundreds of artisanal miners risk their lives in narrow, unstable shafts, hand-drilling and chiselling quartz-bearing veins in search of gold.

The hazardous work offers a source of livelihood in a region where economic opportunities are limited. But as mining activity intensifies, a battle is unfolding above ground over who controls the goldfields, who gets to mine and who stands to benefit from Turkana’s underground wealth.

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