What has been hailed as one of Kenya’s greatest discoveries that promised to transform the fortunes of the residents of Kakamega County is now stirring unease and defiance among the very people meant to benefit from it.
When the Nation team visited the area, the mood was tense. Conversations about the British mining firm, Shanta Gold, which plans to establish operations in the region, sparked not excitement but suspicion.
To the residents, the arrival of the company feels less like an opportunity and more like an invasion threatening to take away the most precious natural resource they possess- land. Not just bare parcels, but land rich in gold.
Their anger has grown sharper as they accuse the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) of siding with the foreign investors instead of defending local livelihoods.
More than 10,000 households in the Isulu-Bushiangala area in Ikolomani sub-county have vowed not to move out for Shanta Gold Company to set up its multi-billion mining operation base.
Carrying twigs in anger, they claimed the investor had secretly reached out to the Authority and planned to acquire their land without involving the land owners.
Ikolomani residents protesting against eviction plan to pave space for British mining company Shanta Gold on November 12, 2025. Two people died in similar protests in Gem, Siaya County.
Photo credit: Isaac Wale | Nation Media Group
"We do not have trust in the investor because Shanta Gold has been exploiting us over the years," said Mr Nicholas Gambo, a resident.
The majority of them said they are not ready to leave the graves of their loved ones to the investor.
Beneath the promise of wealth, they see a threat that could tear them from their ancestral homes and erase the history written into every patch of the red soil.
"We want the investor to come out in the open and talk to us directly. We have graves of our people which we cannot surrender to strangers without a proper engagement," said Gambo.
He further accused Nema of sabotaging their efforts, saying the agency is the main obstacle affecting their operations and that they will not allow the entire Isulu location to be undermined.
Ms Lucy Mugala said they are not ready to relocate and accused Nema of colluding with Shanta Gold to forcefully move them out.
She said gold was discovered in Ikolomani in 1965, but there have been no cases of forceful evictions.
"We won't relocate because we are taxpayers and want the government to let the people of Ikolomani enjoy their rights," she said.
Goldminers extract gold in Ikolomani in Kakamega County on November 12, 2025.
Photo credit: Isaac Wale | Nation Media Group
Mr Gambo added, "We do not want anyone to come and take what we have lived for over the years. They will render us jobless."
The miners said Shanta Gold has been exploiting them by engaging in mining under the pretext of exploring gold deposits in the area.
"We do not want Shanta Gold here. If any investor is interested in gold that is in this area, then it should be someone who will only help us to get machines, even if it means giving us the equipment on loan," pointed out Ms Mugala.
According to Ms Mugala, Shanta Gold will exploit the youth who earn Sh500 per day.
"We are sure that the proposed company will not manage to pay our youth an equal amount to what they earn now. Even the government does not match this pay," she added.
"If these mines are taken over by Shanta Gold, the youth will be left jobless. What are they going to do? To sell cows?" she posed.
Deputy Governor Mr Ayub Savula said they will not allow the investor to set base in the area without conducting public participation.
"We know the interest is in the 337 acres of land in Isulu and Bushiangala. But where do they expect the residents to relocate to? As a county government, we will not allow Nema to issue a license to Shanta Gold," said Mr Savula.
Miners extract gold at Ikolomani in Kakamega County on November 12, 2025.
Photo credit: .Isaac Wale | Nation Media Group
The Deputy Governor said they have their own gold mining factory being constructed, worth Sh1.2 billion, to take care of mining activities in the area.
He claimed that if the British firm is allowed to conduct mining in Ikolomani, it will rob the region of its wealth and take the deposits to the neighbouring regions.
"How will the locals of Kakamega benefit when Shanta Gold takes our royalties to Siaya? They need to come out clearly and tell us their intention because as a county we won’t allow it," he said.
He said they do not oppose development, but they want investors to follow the law and organise public participation for the locals to understand.
He called on the Cabinet Secretary for mining Hassan Joho, to come to the ground and listen to the people of Ikolomani.
In 2020, the village of Isulu-Bushiangala was identified as a potential gold mining centre by Shanta Gold Company.
Isulu-Bushiangala is along the Lirhanda corridor and was discovered to have 1.31 million ounces of gold deposits valued at Sh171 billion by Acacia mining, a British company that carried out exploration in the area.
Lirhanda stretches from Kakamega through Vihiga, Siaya, Busia and Kisumu counties.
Shanta Gold estimated that there could be gold deposits worth $2billion (Sh293 billion), along the Kakamega-Busia gold belt, which covers at least 1,160 square kilometres.
