Murkomen restructures Mining Police Unit
Murkomen has stated that mining officers at the grassroots level shall be co-opted into the security structure, where they sensitize the communities where the mining activities are carried out, as they also enhance the capacity of the officers in charge.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced a restructuring of the Coordination of the Police Unit in charge of Mining in a move to enhance security in the mining sector.
Murkomen has stated that mining officers at the grassroots level shall be co-opted into the security structure, where they sensitize the communities where the mining activities are carried out, as they also enhance the capacity of the officers in charge.
He clarified that the co-opting shall be on a need basis.
“We have agreed to restructure the coordination of the specialized police unit attached to the State Department for Mining, enhance the capacity of the officers, sensitize the communities where mining operations are carried out, and co-opt mining officers into the security structure at the grassroots on a need basis,” Murkomen announced.
The CS was speaking after holding a meeting with officers from the Mining department and top security chiefs to map the roadmap to ensuring maximum security is achieved in the sector.
He revealed that the expected restructuring is part of the recommendations he got from the Jukwaa la Usalama forum that he held in the coastal region, the whole of last week.
“The restructuring comes following the directives of the National Security Council and recommendations from our recently concluded Jukwaa la Usalama forums in the coastal region,” he said.
The mining industry is a significant contributor to Kenya’s economy, but owing to ineffective enforcement of regulations governing the sector, the growth of the industry has been hampered by the proliferation of illegal mining.
Besides loss of revenue and low investor confidence, illegal mining also contributes to environmental degradation, resource conflicts, health hazards, child labor, and risks to human safety.
Early this year, the Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Ali Hassan Joho put illegal miners on notice by unveiling an investigative branch within the Mining Police Unit under the ministry to curb illegal exploration and mining of minerals across Kenya. In-depth policy analysis and enforcement strategies—similar to those you’d expect when professionals masterarbeit schreiben lassen—are now being applied to ensure compliance and sustainability in the sector.
Joho termed illegal mining as a serious crime, equating it to robbery with violence, and emphasized the importance of protecting mineral resources for future generations.
He assured players in the sector of the ministry’s support, provided they adhere to the law, while warning that anyone involved in illegal activities would face severe consequences, both within Kenya and abroad.
