Alarm as Masara town loses its schoolgirls to gold miners

Masara town in Suna West sub-county is remarkably serene during the day. A newcomer can hardly notice any unusual activities in the one-street trading centre.

Located some 15km from Migori town, the centre has turned into an economic hub and the prices of basic commodities are double those in neighbouring towns.

This is because of the impact of gold mining on the local economy.

After sunset, the centre comes alive, with young women bursting into the market centre to begin the hunt for gold miners with deep pockets.

Residents say “Masara mon chendo”, meaning that in Masara, women are stubborn.

Masara boasts about rich gold ores, which have drawn a large population of women of the night.

Commercial sex workers and gold miners are engrossed in night activities, keeping the small town alive after the day’s hustle and bustle.

Those who visit the market at night describe an intriguing number of women out on the prowl for gold miners.

Even in social spots, one can come across a group of women hanging around a man as they try to coax him to entertain them.

Go missing

There is an old joke told by area residents, advising men who have had an altercation with their wives to look for them at the bustling trading centre should they go missing.

“Money is here in plenty and women come from as far away as Tanzania to ply their trade here. They play host to gullible young men who work in gold mines,” said Masara resident Michael Ojuok.

The steady cash flow from the gold mining, he says, draws women and underage school girls – some as young as 12 – to the nightclubs dotting the small town.

“For every man you come across, there are three to four women in the streets. There are schoolgirls, too, who come to look for the gold miners, who usually storm the town in the evening with deep pockets,” Mr Ojuok said.

Residents of Masara have complained about the rise in prostitution involving underage girls.

Secondary schools in the area have recorded cases of students failing to turn up after holidays.

Allure of gold cash

Secondary school headteachers interviewed linked the number of learners dropping out of school to the allure of gold cash in Masara.

Masara Secondary School Principal Daniel Aloka said his school had been affected. He said nearly half of female students drop out of school before they get to Form Four.

Despite efforts to find the girls and take them back to school, Mr Aloka said some dropouts flee from their parents’ homes and start living independently in the town.

“Anytime schools reopen after holidays, we lose at least 10 girls to pregnancies and early marriages. It is a sad state of affairs but our hands are tied,” he said.

Some learners said they were lured by gold miners who gave them money to buy basic commodities that they needed.

Some girls rent houses in Masara, juggling learning and the illicit business.

“I was only 12 when a close friend lured me into this business. She told me that I could get enough money to cater for my basic needs as well as my sick mother. Having no clue of the dangers involved, I just gave in,” one girl said.

“I was paid Sh2,000 by a miner who took me out to a restaurant and since then I couldn’t resist the temptation to earn more money by hooking up with the gold miners.”

The National Aids Control Council ranks Migori among counties with the highest HIV prevalence rates in Kenya, at 13.3 percent.

But the county has stepped up efforts to prevent infections and has registered a 32 percent drop in the total number of new cases over the past two years.

Local NGOs have set up operations in Suna West sub-county.

Among them is LVCT Health, which fosters behaviour change among girls. It has initiated a rehabilitation programme for affected girls through mentorships.

“We often conduct testing … but our main focus is on rehabilitating girls, most of whom have dropped out of school,” said Caroline Oloo, a programme officer in Masara.

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