September, 28, 2024
Statement by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kenya
The Communist Party of Kenya stands firmly in solidarity with the courageous artisanal miners of Nyatike, who have been subjected to violence and repression at the hands of corrupt political leaders and parasitic multinational corporations. The brutal attack on miners at the Macalder Copper Hill on 14th September 2024, organised by Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko and the foreign Hnuo Company, is a flagrant assault on the sovereignty, dignity, and livelihood of the people of Nyatike.
This incident reflects yet another failure of the Kenya Kwanza regime, which consistently places the interests of multinational corporations above those of ordinary Kenyans. The relationship between these corporations and corrupt political elites is fundamentally parasitic. They exploit the labour and natural resources of the Kenyan people, leaving behind only poverty, environmental destruction, and social decay. The miners of Nyatike are being deprived not only of their livelihoods but also of their future by foreign entities who, in collusion with local agents, manipulate laws and violently suppress any resistance.
The establishment of the National Mining Corporation (NAMICO) is another extension of this exploitation. NAMICO is not designed to empower miners or promote national development; it is a tool for further extortion of already struggling artisanal miners. The illegal requirement that the Miners Cooperative Societies obtain a letter of no objection from NAMICO to operate is an unnecessary bureaucratic hurdle designed to entrench corruption and facilitate the looting of Kenya’s natural wealth. This is a fraudulent measure that further burdens the miners.
The proposal that NAMICO enters into private agreements with mining companies to extort payments beyond the legally mandated royalties is an outright scam. This is not governance but an organised theft of our national resources. Moreover, the deliberate vagueness in the law allowing certain minerals to be declared "strategic" without a clear policy framework is nothing but a smokescreen to deepen and exacerbate the corruption already rampant within the Ministry of Mining.
Under the leadership of Permanent Secretary Elijah Mwangi, the Ministry of Mining has done nothing but exacerbate the exploitation of local miners. Since the introduction of SACCO permits for miners, not a single permit has been issued, while the trade of so-called strategic minerals continues to flourish through black market channels, greased by bribes to ministry officials. This has allowed multinational corporations such as Beta Metals to exploit local miners, having obtained trading licences through backdoor dealings facilitated by the office of the Permanent Secretary.
It is intolerable that the miners of Nyatike, and across Kenya, are being betrayed by their own government. The collusion between the Ministry of Mining and Governor Ayacko, who is working to impose the Hnuo Company on Nyatike, is a criminal conspiracy that must be confronted with the full force of public outrage and resistance.
We call for the immediate mobilisation of workers, miners, and all patriotic Kenyans to organise mass protests and demonstrations at the Ministry of Mining to demand justice and accountability. PS Elijah Mwangi must be held responsible for his role in the plundering of our country’s resources and the betrayal of our artisanal miners.
The Communist Party of Kenya demands the following:
1. The immediate cessation of Hnuo Company’s operations in Nyatike until the miners’ grievances are addressed and a fair, transparent agreement is established.
2. The abolition of NAMICO’s bureaucratic barriers, such as the requirement for a letter of no objection for SACCO permits. SACCOs must be allowed to operate independently and without corrupt government official interference.
3. Investigations into backdoor dealings involving multinational corporations such as Beta Metals, which are exploiting artisanal miners with illicitly obtained trading licences.
4. A clear legal and policy framework for the mining of strategic minerals that is free of corruption and undue influence from foreign interests.
5. The permanent revocation of Hnuo’s mining licence, ensuring that local miners have full control over their resources without being displaced by foreign companies.
The time has come for the people of Kenya to reclaim their resources and their future. The Communist Party of Kenya stands resolutely with the miners of Nyatike and will continue to fight against the corrupt systems that seek to destroy their livelihoods. We must not allow the wealth of our nation to become a source of poverty and exploitation for our people. It is time to end the plunder and demand justice.
In solidarity,
Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of Kenya