Migori Deputy Governor, Dr Joseph Mahiri, has called upon the Kuria community to allow their children to attend school instead of engaging in mining activities which ruin their education.
Mahiri, who spoke while visiting the Komasincha Primary School in Kuria West Sub County, said that the majority of pupils have been affected by the mining activities that have left some to drop out.
The Deputy Governor, who gave out shoes to the pupils of Komasincha Primary School in order to motivate them to pursue education, underscored that engaging school-going children in the mining activities is child labour that is punishable by law.
“I want to encourage parents from Kuria to emphasise the importance of prioritizing education over economic activities, such as gold mining, which disrupt academic excellence,” explained Mahiri.
He cautioned parents who were exposing their school-going children to mining activities to allow their children to pursue education and become professionals in the society.
“I am urging the Kuria residents to embrace responsible mining practices and prioritise education over child labour. I also want to emphasise that mining should remain an income-generating activity for adults, not children,” he explained.
The head teacher of Komasincha Primary School, Simon Manganyi, disclosed that the majority of the schoolchildren have been lost in mining activities, exposing them to child labour and health risks.
The school, which has a population of about 500 pupils, has over the years recorded a significant school dropout that is related to mining activities in the region.
The parents of Komasincha Primary School also benefited from maize seeds to utilise during the short September-October rainy season to reduce over-dependency on mining activities.
By Makokha Khaoya
