Official urges quarry miners to form cooperative society

Metrin Nafula carries stones from a quarry on June 25 last year. She takes them to masons who shape them for sale at Kware ya Kinuthia at Kiganjo, Kieni East in Nyeri County. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

Quarry workers have been asked to former a savings and credit cooperative societies to enable them to benefit from efforts to institutionalise the sub-sector.

The Government has anchored quarrying in the law to regularise the sub-sector and protect the miners.

Deputy Governor Caroline Karugu yesterday said the county government was in the process of sensitising the miners on the need to form a sacco.

Dr Karugu was speaking after a meeting with Mining PS John Omenge, who visited the miners in Kiganjo/Mathari ward.

"We have launched programmes to sensitise quarry miners on the need to form a cooperative that will help them make savings and protect them from exploitation. The sacco will help them maximise the benefits accruing from the Mining Act 2016. We are also teaching them on how to go about it,” Karugu said, adding that the miners had pledged to work with the authorities to implement the mining laws.

"The Act will formalise quarrying. It provides for licensing of cooperative societies, tax regulations, training and supporting of innovations in the quarrying industry.”

Quarrying has been on the decline in Nyeri as miners move to the northeastern region in search of better opportunities.

Last year, local leaders called on both the county and national governments to improve quarrying to stop mass migration of miners to northeastern Kenya. This followed the killing of four people from the county when suspect Al Shaabab militants attacked a quarry in Himbir Fatuma, Mandera South sub-county, in May last year. 

This was one of several attacks in quarries in Mandera since July 7, 2015, when militants killed 14 miners. On December 2 that year, 36 miners were killed at Hargasu quarry.

On October 6, 2016, six non-local miners were killed at Bulla public works. Two more miners were killed at Qaulangelesa on May 12, 2017.

The miners are attracted to Mandera because of better pay. They get Sh38 per foot of cut stone as opposed to Sh15 in Nyeri.

"The government will support quarry workers who are the backbone of the construction industry. They are also key to President Uhuru Kenyatta's plan to provide affordable housing to all,” Karugu said.