Devastating Reasons Siaya Residents Are Fighting to Stop Shanta Gold’s Ramula-Mwibona Mining Project

In the heart of Siaya County, the people of Gem Ramula are waging a desperate battle against Shanta Gold Kenya Limited, a foreign mining giant threatening to tear apart their ancestral lands, livelihoods, and very way of life with its proposed Ramula-Mwibona Open Pit Mining Project.

Backed by human rights groups including the Concerned Citizens Movement from the Lake Region Economic Bloc, local miners, and legal advocates, the residents are standing firm, their voices echoing a unified cry: this project must be stopped.

The evidence is overwhelming—Shanta Gold’s plans promise nothing but devastation for the community, and the people of Ramula deserve better.

An Environmental Disaster Waiting to Happen

The Concerned Citizens Movement has sounded the alarm on the catastrophic environmental impact of Shanta Gold’s open-pit mining plans, labeling it “the most destructive method of mining” with far more harm than good for the local community and environment.

Their detailed statements paint a grim picture: open-pit mining will strip away vegetation, topsoil, and ecosystems, causing erosion, wildlife habitat destruction, and the obliteration of Ramula’s beautiful landscape.

Water and air contamination will follow, posing “hazardous” health risks to residents. The group warns that in 15 years, when Shanta Gold depletes the mineral resources, the land will be left “permanently damaged” and “unusable,” with the Ramula pit remaining a dangerous scar on the earth.

For a community that has sustainably mined gold in small, environmentally friendly ways for generations, this is an unacceptable betrayal of their heritage and future.

Forced Displacement: A Heartless Uprooting

At the core of the community’s resistance is the looming threat of forced relocation—a heartless plan to uproot “hundreds of thousands of locals” from their ancestral lands.

The Concerned Citizens Movement compares Shanta Gold’s actions to a stranger who, after being welcomed into a home, decides to take over the kitchen.

Their statements assert that “thousands of people will be displaced from their ancestral land, which cannot be adequately compensated even by money.”

The group’s demands further reveal that the impact extends beyond those few who have been coerced into accepting compensation, affecting “many living within the radius” who will face health hazards, noise pollution, and severed mobility as the well-tarmacked Luanda-Ramula road is cut off.

Since 2023, residents have fought against this displacement, submitting a petition to the Siaya County Assembly with support from the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), which has called for prioritizing the community’s rights.

Colonel (rtd) Moses Adol of the Ramula Community Development Association has been a steadfast voice, demanding written assurances against relocation—assurances Shanta Gold has failed to provide.

At a September 2024 meeting at Ramula Health Centre, the community rejected relocation plans outright, their fears fueled by surveys like relocation action plans and socio-economic studies.

“We cannot lose our homes, farmlands, and graveyards,” Adol declared, a sentiment that resonates deeply with a people whose identity is tied to the land.

A Pattern of Deceit and Legal Violations

Shanta Gold’s operations are shrouded in allegations of dishonesty and legal violations, further eroding any trust the community might have had.

On March 27, 2025, Otieno Ogola & Company Advocates led by vocal lawyer Willis Evans Otieno demanded that the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) halt public hearings scheduled for April 2 and 3, 2025, accusing Shanta Gold of failing to disclose exact land parcel numbers, conducting illegal open-pit mining, and bypassing the requirement for unencumbered consent under Section 37 of the Mining Act (2016) and Article 40 of the Constitution of Kenya (2010).

“I have resolved to stand with the people of these communities in their fight to protect what is rightfully theirs. I join the cause to restore sanity and dignity to those affected, ensuring that their voices are heard and their rights upheld. The people of Kenya must unite against exploitative ventures that disregard the well-being of our citizens.” Otieno posted.

The lawyers also alleged that the company used intimidation and forged consent, engaging in “exploitative and underhand tactics” that trample on the community’s rights.

The Concerned Citizens Movement has echoed these accusations, branding Shanta Gold’s operations as marked by “dishonesty and fraud.”

The company’s October 2024 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report vaguely states that land acquisition and involuntary resettlement will be avoided “where possible”—a phrase the group interprets as a clear admission of forced displacement, constituting a “violation of the human rights of these vulnerable locals.”

Residents of Mwibona Ward in Vihiga County were shocked to learn through the NEMA report that their land is also targeted, yet Shanta Gold has “never engaged them in any discussion,” a move the group calls “unacceptable.”

The Concerned Citizens Movement demands that Shanta Gold provide detailed information on its corporate structure, ownership, operational history, mineral rights, and licenses in the Ramula-Mwibona area, reflecting the community’s deep distrust of the company’s intentions.

Silenced Voices and Political Betrayal

The people of Ramula have been crying out against this project for years, but their voices have been systematically ignored.

Since their 2023 petition to the Siaya County Assembly, residents have reiterated their objections in barazas (public meetings) and a bench-marking visit to Siginda TZ in October 2024, where they witnessed the project’s detrimental impacts firsthand.

The KHRC has supported their cause, calling for expert opinions to be considered, but these pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

The Concerned Citizens Movement demands that Shanta Gold “stop intimidating the residents by use of DCI-Gem Yala” and allow them to “freely and peacefully hold public barazas for sensitization,” a right enshrined in the Kenyan Constitution of 2010.

They also seek a “plausible explanation” for why a baraza planned by the County Government was “abruptly called off,” a cancellation that reeks of political interference.

The Communist Party of Kenya (CPK) has accused Gem MP Mr. Odhiambo of complicity in Shanta Gold’s “predatory mining agenda,” leaving residents feeling betrayed by their own leaders.

The Concerned Citizens Movement has threatened to escalate the matter to the High Court if Shanta Gold does not respond to their demands in writing within seven days, a bold move that underscores the community’s determination to be heard.

Local Miners Left in the Lurch

The K’Opala Miners Self-Help Group of Ramula and Bamboo Artisanal Miners of Vihiga County, who rely entirely on small-scale mining for their livelihoods, face an existential threat from Shanta Gold’s project.

These registered local miners stand to lose both their lands and mines—their only source of income—yet their opposition has been ignored.

The Concerned Citizens Movement demands that Shanta Gold “listens to the registered local miners” and “stop dispossessing them of their mines,” arguing that acquiring the targeted land will “logically” strip these miners of their livelihoods.

This disregard for the community’s economic backbone is nothing short of “irresponsible and unjust.”

Empty Economic Promises

Shanta Gold has dangled the carrot of economic benefits, touting its $137 million West Kenya Project with promises of $2.6 million in royalties, annual operating costs of $45 million, and social programs.

But the Concerned Citizens Movement sees through these hollow assurances, arguing that the project “is mainly for the benefit of the company and not of the local community.”

The group demands that Shanta Gold provide “evidence of their past successful mining operations including adherence to environmental and social obligations,” a challenge the company has yet to meet. For the people of Ramula, economic promises mean nothing when they come at the cost of their homes, heritage, and future.

The struggle in Ramula is a microcosm of a larger battle against exploitative mining practices in Kenya.

The Cortec Mining case in Kwale County, where legal battles over land rights and environmental impact raged, serves as a stark reminder of the systemic issues plaguing the sector.

A 2024 report by Citizen Digital noted that Kenya’s mining industry remains “weighed down by weak regulations,” allowing companies like Shanta Gold to prioritize profit over people.

The people of Ramula are not just fighting for their land—they are fighting for justice, for their rights, and for a future where their voices matter.

A Desperate Plea for Action

The Concerned Citizens Movement has issued a resounding call to action, demanding that the Ramula-Mwibona Open Pit Mining Project be stopped in its tracks.

Their statements urge leaders to reject the project outright, insisting that the voices of Ramula residents “must be heard.”

Their demands are clear: Shanta Gold must drop its open-pit mining plans, provide transparency, end intimidation, respect local miners, and engage with the community in good faith—or face legal action in the High Court.

The people of Ramula deserve nothing less than a future where their land, their health, and their dignity are protected, not plundered.

As of April 4, 2025, the outcome of the April 2 and 3 hearings remains uncertain, with no public updates available.

The battle in Ramula is a clarion call for justice—a fight that must not be ignored.