Barely eleven months after the Lumba gold mining tragedy that claimed the lives of five women, another mining accident has taken the life of a widow in Rarieda sub-county, Siaya County.
Jane Awuor Owino, 40, died on the morning of Friday, January 30, 2026, after the Pap Kamboha gold mine shaft collapsed on her.
According to Assistant Chief Musa Okello, Awuor was pulled out alive and rushed to Siaya County Referral Hospital, where she later succumbed to injuries sustained from the debris. Okello expressed sorrow over the economic hardships forcing women into dangerous mining activities.
“The mother of two was trapped under the rubble of an informal gold-mining site, a common source of livelihood in the region. Poverty has pushed our widows to the mines, hoping to find gold and sell it for money,” Okello stated.
The lifeless body of Awuor is currently at the Siaya Morgue, awaiting postmortem investigations. Reports indicated that Awuor, who hailed from Kirindo village, turned to gold mining as a means of survival in tough economic times, unaware that it would cost her life. The region has gold deposits, which attract locals seeking a livelihood.
According to a neighbour, Philister Odhiambo, Awuor had ventured into gold mining following the death of her husband to support her family. It is also reported that many women, including widows, engage directly in mining to avoid sexual exploitation.
“She meant well for her family and would go deep into the shaft at night to extract the precious commodity (gold),” Okello added.
Adding;
“The sexual exploitation is not limited to widows alone; any woman seeking an income from gold is at risk. As deposits of gold deplete in the mining sites, women shift to new pits where the cycle of exploitation thrives.”
In March 2025, a similar tragedy occurred in Lumba village, where five female artisanal miners died after a prohibited gold mine collapsed. The mining shaft caved in on Monday, March 3, at around 5 pm, burying six women. Locals rescued the victims, recovering five bodies after about three hours.
Authorities have repeatedly warned about the dangers of unregulated gold mining, citing weak soil structures and a lack of safety measures that frequently lead to fatalities. Dozens of miners have died in similar incidents in Migori, Siaya, Kakamega, Moyale, West Pokot, and other gold-rich areas.
The miners are reported to use heavy machinery to extract gold, which weakens the mine walls and contributes to collapses.
According to Siaya County Mines Inspector Tikani Morris, gold mining tragedies continue despite ongoing safety campaigns in the region.
“We have been carrying out safety campaigns among locals in vain. Some miners defy orders not to venture into the sites and go there at night,” Morris said.
