An Assessment of the Effects of Artisanal Mining in Tabaka, Kisii County, Kenya

Abstract

Soapstone is a soft soapy rock that comes in a variety of colors due to leaching of different minerals across them. It is used in making sculpture, cooking pots and in structural architectural applications. Nevertheless, soapstone mining has social, economic and environmental effects. Its mining leads to landslides and soil erosion hence reduced productivity. Also, the mining of soapstone brings changes to the physical outlook of the landscape, river siltation, and reduction in soil productivity and massive landslides during the rainy season. To ensure the sustainability of mining in Kenya, it is important to understand and assess the social-economic and environmental effects of soapstone mining. The main objective of the study was therefore to assess the effects of artisanal mining, Kenya. The specific objectives were; (i) to establish the nature and extent of artisanal mining (ii) to examine the socio-economic effects of artisanal mining (iii) to assess the environmental effects of artisanal mining recommend ways to ensure sustainable artisanal mining. The study was hinged on a descriptive research design. The target population of interest was 1200 individuals working in Tabaka soapstone mining, the area chief, public health officer in Kisii County, an officer from the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, the head of Energy, Water, Environment and Natural Resources Department in Kisii County Government, the head of trade and industry department, the head of Health Services department and the head of National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) in Kisii County. Both primary and secondary data were used in this study. Simple random sampling was used to select 300 individuals working in Tabaka mines and purposively selected the public official for in depth interviews. Further, semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data. This study generated both qualitative and quantitative data. The quantitative data in this research was analyzed by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 22). Descriptive statistics included frequency distribution, mean (a measure of central tendency), standard deviation (a measure of dispersion) and percentages. The data was then presented in tables, charts and graphs. Content analysis was used in processing qualitative data and the results were presented in prose form. The study also used Spearman Rank-order correlations analysis to check for the level of the association between the independent variable (artisanal mining) and the dependent variables (socio-economic effects and environmental effects). Regression model was used to ascertain the degree to which the independent variable predicts the dependent variable at 95% significance level. It was found that there is significant socio-economic and environmental effects of artisanal mining in Tabaka. From the findings, the study recommended that the National Government of Kenya should open up factories such as the terrazzo to make use of the resources and create more jobs for the people. Further, the County Government should give clear regulations to control activities of soapstone industry. The residents and the community members should form groups and cooperatives to avoid exploitation by middlemen and the regulatory institutions should conduct sensitization on good mining practices for sustainability.