12 mothers pay the ultimate sacrifice fending for children

The bodies of the Rumos Gold victims lie at the Morita trading centre in West Pokot Country on Friday 8, 2026. [Peter Ochieng, Standard]

As the world marks Mother’s Day with flowers, celebrations and messages of appreciation, residents of West Pokot County are mourning 12 mothers who died while fending for their families.

The mothers woke up before sunrise and descended into dangerous gold pits in Romos in search of a few grams of gold but they never made it out alive. 

They are among the 14 miners who have been confirmed dead after a mining pit collapsed, leaving behind devastated families.

There are fears of more bodies still trappped under the rubble, as rescue mission continues. Locals say the mine had about 100 people, majority of them women who had descended in the pits hoping to earn enough money to buy food, pay school fees and support their families.

The tragedy exposed the harsh reality facing many women in the region — mothers who carry the burden of being breadwinners.

Across many parts of the country, men are traditionally expected to provide for their families. But in the gold mining zones of West Pokot, many women say they have been forced to take over that responsibility as unemployment, poverty and alcoholism continue affecting households.

Earnings remain low

For Milka Pius, a mother of 10, every day begins with uncertainty. She spends long hours in the mines under the scorching sun, unsure whether she will return home safely.

“We work in the pits during the day and in the evening men still expect us to perform all family duties,” she says.

Milka laments that despite gold being a valuable mineral, the earnings from artisanal mining remain extremely low.

“Sometimes we earn only Sh600 after a whole day of work. That money only buys food for the family. It is not sustainable because gold mining is all about luck,” she explains.

She says the women live in constant fear because the soil inside the pits is loose and can collapse at any moment. “We are always worried because the pits can cave in anytime,” she adds quietly.

Rumos mining site where scores of people were buried to death in West Pokot Country on Thursday night. [Peter Ochieng,Standard]

Another miner, Monica Kamasapitch, says survival in the gold fields demands sacrifice, courage and endurance. The mother of four wakes up at 6am daily to go to the mining sites without any protective gear.

Searching for gold, she says, is one of the riskiest jobs women in the region have embraced.

“In some cases, the soil buries women alive,” she says. “Many men have left this work to women while they remain basking in the sun expecting us to provide.”

Her words reflect the frustration of many women who feel abandoned and overburdened.

For Brillian Cheruto, the danger inside the pits has become part of life. She reveals that women miners face countless challenges, including injuries and death, but poverty keeps driving them back to the mines.

“Sometimes women are buried in the debris, but the deaths cannot keep us away because our children still need food,” she says.

Cheruto believes women deserve more recognition for the sacrifices they make.

“Even when some men get money, they spend it on alcohol and fail to return home. Women should be respected because we sacrifice a lot in these mining areas,” she says.

Cheruto narrates that she joined mining two years ago after struggling to educate her children. Though she never had the chance to attend school herself, she uses her earnings to ensure the children attain education.

“I am not afraid of death,” she says. “What matters is seeing my children succeed in life.”

Members  of the public at the Morita Gold mining site where scores of people were buried  to death on Thursday night in West Pokot County. [Peter Ochieng,Standard]

For many women in Romos, mining is no longer a temporary hustle but a desperate means of survival.

Rith Nasambu, who travelled from Trans Nzoia County to work in the Romos gold pits, reveals that difficult family circumstances forced her to leave home in search of income.

“I came here because of the problems I faced at home,” she explains. “Women are heavily burdened because many men spend their earnings in hotels and bars.”

Despite the hardships, she encourages women not to give up.

“We should continue working hard for our families and not allow poverty to pull us backwards,” she says.

Nasambu is now calling on the government to improve safety and security in the mining areas.

“We need empowerment and protection. We will also try our best to avoid risky areas,” she says.

Even male miners acknowledge the central role women now play in sustaining families in the region.

Raphael Alale, an artisanal miner in Romos, says women have become the backbone of many households because they know how to manage family needs better.

“When women earn money here, they buy food and pay school fees,” he says. “Many men use their earnings on alcohol and leisure.”

As the world celebrates mothers for their love and sacrifices, the women of West Pokot continue digging deep beneath unstable ground, searching not for wealth, but survival.

For them, Mother’s Day is not marked by gifts or celebrations. It is marked by sweat, hunger, fear and the painful determination to keep their children alive.

Beneath the collapsing gold pits of Romos are stories of mothers who risk everything every single day — women whose sacrifices remain unseen, even as they carry entire families on their shoulders.