Form One student buried alive while mining sand

A 15-year-old Form One student was on Sunday evening buried alive as he harvested sand in Rachuonyo North sub-county.

Diof Onyango Odhiambo, a St Joseph Kobuya Secondary School, had accompanied a group of sand miners to a quarry in Kabonyo Village in Kobuya Location.

Four other people, who were also harvesting sand in the same quarry, narrowly escaped death after they were pulled from a heap of sand that had buried them after walls of the mine caved in.

The four were rushed to Miriu Health Centre with injuries, while the student's body was moved to Kendu Bay Adventist Hospital Mortuary.

Kobuya Location Chief Damianus Osano said: "The residents engage in sand mining oblivious of the dangers they expose themselves to. The walls in the open quarries are weak yet the miners do not pay attention to this," said the administrators.  

Sand mining is one of the main economic activities in Kobuya, Kobala, Chuowe and neighbouring villages Rachuonyo North.

There have been attempts to regulate the activity to control soil erosion.  

But residents involved in the activity have defied the directive issued by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) which requires all sand mining sites to be licensed.

Mr Osano cautioned members of the public against engaging in sand harvesting without Nema approval.

Homa Bay County Nema Director Josiah Nyandoro said the sand mining sites are operating illegally.

Mr Nyadoro said sand harvesting should be done in delineated sites that have been subjected to environmental impact assessment and licensed by Nema. 

“The order by Nema was meant to ensure the sand mining sites are rehabilitated,” he said.

He urged residents to embrace other income generating activities including farming to protect the environment.

Mr Nyandoro said sand harvesters in other countries have formed groups that target to protect the environment from degradation.

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