Tension is rising in Ikolomani constituency, Kakamega County, as residents protest against an impending eviction by British mining firm Shanta Gold Kenya Limited.
Locals, who depend on small-scale gold mining for their livelihoods, have vowed not to surrender their ancestral land.
Shanta Gold plans to proceed with a multi-billion-shilling large-scale extraction project in Isulu and Bushiangala areas, expected to run for eight years and produce an estimated 36,000 kilograms of high-grade gold valued at Sh683 billion.
Residents say survey teams have already been spotted on their farms and claim company officials, alongside local administrators, are discussing relocation plans aimed at clearing entire villages to pave the way for the project.
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