Two people lost their lives on Thursday when irate villagers stormed the premises of a gold mining company in East Asembo Ward of Rarieda Constituency.
The area residents now want the government to arrest and charge a politician they accuse of inciting violence that rocked a gold mining site leading to the deaths of the two people.
The residents allege the two would not have died had the leader not called for a public participation meeting to discuss the operations of a new mining company in the area.
Speaking to journalists at Kamalumbe village in North Ramba sub-location, Rarieda sub-County in Siaya, where they held demonstrations against the organizers and perpetrators of the attack, the residents challenged the police to ensure that the politician faced charges.
On Thursday, two people lost their lives when irate villagers stormed the premises of a company in the Rarieda to oppose its operations.
The incident that occurred in Lumba Kobong’ village left several people nursing injuries. A Chinese man who flashed his gun to scare away the villagers was forced to take off at high speed to an unknown destination.
Trouble started when agitated youths stormed out of a public participation meeting organised by area MCA Gordon Onyango Onguuru a few metres from the company premises.
Armed with their mining tools, the youths marched to the factory and started demolishing the wall as some climbed over, holding hostage Amlight company workers and their bosses who were caught by surprise.
Once inside, the youths started attacking whoever they found in the compound, clobbering and slashing them.
The villagers had earlier expressed concern that they had not been engaged by the proprietors of the company, which had erected a wall to put up a gold processing plant in the area.
Speakers accused the company of using the back door to set up a base in the area, adding that as stakeholders they had the right to know exactly how the company would conduct its activities and mitigate threats to the environment.
The politician said that the meeting he called was properly convened and that he had invited both government and local mining company officials to attend and shed light on their activities.
Siaya County Police Commander Cleti Kimaiyo said that the police had launched a manhunt for the politician.
Kimaiyo said they had established that much as the local community supports the existence of the two gold mining companies in the area, the investors were against each other.
He said police were also investigating whether any of the two investors played a role in the deadly skirmishes.
Kimaiyo called for calm in the area and urged the mining sector stakeholders to seek solutions from relevant government departments and agencies whenever they have challenges.
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