The Nakuru County assembly has passed a motion that if signed to law will make it illegal for quarry owners to leave the mines open or without fencing them.
The motion was tabled by Gilgil Ward MCA Jane Ngugi and was passed unanimously by all members that were present in the assembly.
“I brought this motion to the county assembly because of the problems we have been going through as a result of open mines,” said Wangui.
She added: “When miners dig quarries and leave them open, it becomes a haven for all bad things; robbers go to hide there, people have fallen to their deaths there. Others are in hospital with spinal injuries and even rape cases have been reported from there.”
Wangui says that Kikopey area of Gilgil has been the worst hit by the quarry incidences.
“We have buried many young men in Kikopey because of falling in the pits or the mines caving in and burying them alive. The motion has regulations that will see that quarry owners put necessary measures in place to ensure that working in the mines is safe for our people,” the MCA adds.
The motion when signed into law will make it mandatory for quarry owners to bury the pits or fence them completely to prevent accidents or deaths.