While Turkana County in northern Kenya has traditionally been under the category of economically marginalised – and debilitating poverty as a consequence – a new scramble for natural resources is feeding environmental degradation.

This follows discoveries of oil, gold and coltan in recent years, which has elevated to the region known in the history of human evolution as the cradle of mankind to the mythical El Dorado status and unleashed investment interest.

The interest has been a scramble for natural resources in the far-flung region that borders Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia. The unbridled scramble led to uncontrolled gold mining and the attendant risks.

Consequently, Lomeguro, Turkana’s most prominent gold mining site, has undergone a fresh round of assessment as the county government and partners push for its safe reopening following months of closure.

The mine was closed down by authorities following concerns about the safety of artisanal miners after walls of one of the mines caved in. On Thursday, a joint delegation met with the Deputy Governor John Erus to discuss lessons learned, safety guidelines, progress, best practices and planned activities ahead of the assessment.

The assessment, led by Directorate of Mining in collaboration with Oil and Gas Group Kenya and Solidardad, was designed to review progress made on compliance with the government’s safety, environmental, and community inclusion measures.

A government’s directive led to the closure for several months after a series of tragic accidents, community complaints over safety, and environmental degradation.

Speaking during the exercise, Director of Mining Merimug Eloto said the county is committed to ensuring that operations at Lomeguro meet the required regulations and adhering to global best practices.

“Our interest is to ensure that mining activities here are safe, environmentally sound, and inclusive of the community. This is the basis on which reopening decisions will be made,” Eloto said.

He noted that while the closure had affected livelihoods, the county was working with partners and artisanal miners to ensure a structured and safe return to mining.

“Joint assessments like this provide critical information for decision-making and highlight gaps our partners can fill to support artisanal miners,” the director added.

According to Engineer Cyrus Jonde a consultant with the Oil and Gas Group Kenya, the latest findings showed notable improvement from previous inspections, an indication of the operators’ commitment to compliance.

Augustine Masiga of Solidardad addressed the importance of stronger environmental safeguards, noting that efforts must continue to reverse land degradation and secure long-term sustainability. The assessment covered drilling operations, environmental controls and community participation. The findings will inform the county’s next steps toward reopening the mine.

Similar assessments are expected to continue across other gold mines in Turkana, including Nagetei and Locheromoit among others.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Peter Gitonga