Mining Impacts on Society: A Case Study of Taita Taveta County, Kenya

Abstract

Taita-Taveta County is rich with a wide variety of minerals in the world. Gemstones like Ruby, Tsavorite, Ruby and green garnets have caused many people to migrate to the area. These people came from within the county and from other parts of the country, greatly impacting the lifestyle of the local community. There was a need to understand how mining impacts on society and cultural values of a community. This study was carried out in 9 villages which included; Eastleigh A and B, Central, Ndigai, Mungololini, Mukengereni B and C, Mkuki and Kambanga. Respondents from 173 households from the villages were interviewed and discussions from 8 key informants who included: a Manager of Classic Mines, an official of Chawia Mining Community Based Organization (CBO), an individual manual artisanal miner, a retired senior Warden of Kenya Wild Life Service (KWS), Kenya Forest Service Manager (KFS), a gemologist from the Taita Taveta County government, Chief of Mwatate location and the County Director of National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). On a scale of 1-4 (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Agree and 4 = Strongly agree), the respondents agreed that there was a loss of their ancestral land, conflicts, dilution of Taita culture through mixed intermarriages, increased prostitution, alcoholism and high school dropouts. The study recommends review of the legal and policy framework governing mining in community areas and subsequent vigorous enforcement to maintain the good order of the public and to sustain meaningful traditions and culture to ensure conflict resolution and mining site ownership.

Community‐centred approach for assessing social sustainability in mining regions: A case study of Chingola district, Zambia

“…Consequently, the status of cultural heritage remains very poor, with almost no cultural activity organised annually and despite the willingness of Chingola residents to conserve and preserve their Culture and traditions expressed by 39.5% of the respondents. A study by (Mwakesi et al, 2020) aligns with our findings and reported a loss of traditional values and norms, and a decrease in the rate of social interaction in the mining community of Taveta in Kenya.…”

“…Additionally, the lack of shared understanding and definition among decision‐makers and planners at the operational levels is also one of the biggest obstacles (Littig & Griessler, 2005; Olofsson et al, 2016). A study by Mwakesi (2020) in the mining community of Taita Taveta in Kenya, ascertained that mining is carried out with little government regulation and control, with practically no rule on sharing royalties and benefits among the mining stakeholders. Gurská and Válová (2013) ascertained that CSR programmes are used as mere charity programmes that have nothing to do with sustainable development and the aim of creating a shared value for both the company and the community.…”

“…Many scholars have reported similar observations from different mining areas (Dev, 2013). Mwakesi (2020) explained that selfishness of local authorities along with weak institutions constitute a fertile ground for poor accountability in mining areas.…”

“…The community's perception of government accountability and responsiveness is as low (29/100) (Figure7b), resulting in a local governance score as low as (5.3/100). Many scholars have reported similar observations from different mining areas(Dev, 2013) Mwakesi (2020). explained that selfishness of local authorities along with weak institutions constitute a fertile ground for poor accountability in mining areas.…”

Palmer-type soil modelling for evapotranspiration in different climatic regions of Kenya

“…the lowlands during long rains (MAM); while during short rains (OND) the range is from 341 mm in lowlands to 1,200 mm in highlands (Mwakesi, I. et al 2020).…”