Leaders demand release of 200 arrested in deadly Ikolomani mining clashes

Western leaders, including CS Wycliffe Oparanya and Deputy Governor Ayub Savula, push for release of 200 Ikolomani residents held at Kakamega Central Police Station. [Mary Imenza, Standard]

Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya is among the leaders demanding the release of over 200 arrested after deadly clashes over a proposed Sh680b mining project in Ikolomani.

Oparanya, Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula, and Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali termed the arrest unlawful and called for accountability from security agencies.

On Saturday, the three leaders camped at Kakamega Police Station demanding the release of the suspects, saying they were provoked and feared displacement.

The protests, which began on Thursday, spiraled into deadly confrontations between police and residents resisting the proposed gold extraction project. 

At least four people were shot dead, while dozens of others, including two police officers and journalists, were left wounded.

Western Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamoud said the clashes were “planned and executed by hired goons acting on political instructions.”

He said 63 people had been arrested in connection with the violence by Friday evening, 63 on Thursday, and 53 others, including the two MCAs, on Friday.

“We are dealing with a criminal gang that attacked police, NEMA officials, and journalists and destroyed public property,” Mohamoud said.

 “Those arrested will be charged with assault, causing grievous harm, malicious damage, and preparing to commit a felony.”

The injured officers, a male and a female, are receiving treatment at the Kakamega County General Teaching and Referral Hospital. 

Among those detained were two Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), minors, and dozens of residents accused of participating in violent protests that erupted during a National Environment Management Authority (Nema) public participation meeting in Isulu and Musali.

“This situation has been mishandled from the start. You cannot arrest minors and hundreds of poor villagers and expect the community to remain calm. We want the police to follow the law, not intimidate the very people they are supposed to protect,” CS Oparanya said outside the police station, where relatives of the detainees had gathered since dawn.

Savula accused Nema and the investor, Shanta Gold, of “careless and provocative engagement” with residents, saying the process had sparked unnecessary tension, death, and destruction.

“Their shambolic way of engaging the public has done more harm. It is irresponsible to conduct such a sensitive exercise without proper consultation. Public participation should calm fears, not fuel chaos," Savula stated.

Savula insisted residents must be allowed to negotiate any relocation directly with the company.

“If displacement is involved, it must be handled with extreme care because we are dealing with ancestral land, which is an emotive issue. We are not opposed to investment, but investors must come with all cards on the table," he said.

Kakamega County Government requested Nema to suspend all ongoing public participation forums on the proposed mining project to allow for orderly consultation.

“This process must be reset. Let the national government, county government, investor, and community sit together and agree on the way forward. Lives have already been lost," said Savula.

While Regional Commander Mohamoud insisted political players were behind the chaos, Savula dismissed the police version, saying the protests were “spontaneous responses to a community feeling threatened.”

“The people saw their heritage at risk and reacted emotionally. Let the police investigate and take action against criminals, but it is not true that this was a pre-planned political act," he said.

Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa also waded into the matter, urging Shanta Gold to adopt modern mining technology that would eliminate the need for mass relocation.

“My stand is on the people of Ikolomani. There is no way an investor can come to move people from their homes. Nowadays we have modern technology. We must have a win-win situation. Mining can go on without uprooting families," Barasa said on Saturday.

He warned leaders against politicizing the matter and called for sober dialogue.

“I have challenged Shanta Gold to use modern mining methods. Let us not turn this into a political contest. People’s lives and heritage are on the line,” he said.

Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali urged the police to release minors first, accusing officers of violating children’s rights.

“You cannot round up schoolboys and treat them like criminals. Police must separate innocent teenagers from actual offenders," said Shinali. 

Chaos began when residents blocked the road to Musali Mixed Day and Boarding Senior School, the designated venue for the Nema meeting. 

A mob armed with crude weapons stoned vehicles, vandalized school buildings, and burned documents.

At Imusali Secondary School, protesters stormed the administration block, overturning shelves, scattering books, and later setting part of the building ablaze.

“Any sane person cannot go and destroy a school where children acquire knowledge,” Ikolomani Deputy County Commissioner Geofrey Mayama said. “These are individuals with ill motives, and we are pursuing them to ensure they are brought to book.”

Several journalists covering the event were also injured and had their equipment damaged.

Residents say their opposition is driven by fears of displacement, environmental damage, and the loss of ancestral land. 

Nema officials had convened the forum to collect views on a planned gold mining project valued at Sh680 billion by Shanta Gold, a private investor.

Community leaders claim the project could displace more than 800 families in Bushangala, Isulu, and Shibuname.

“Our land is not just soil—it is where our people are buried, where our children grow, and where our livelihoods depend. They cannot tell us to move like we are strangers at home,” said 50-year-old resident Judith Shivegha. 

Others accused “brokers and politically connected middlemen” of fueling confusion and tension by misrepresenting the investor’s intentions.