Artisanal Miners: Toiling For Ngilu and Her Money Pests

Stealing from artisanal miners

 There is something about Kaluki Ngilu and illicit money. The woman doesn't see money that she doesn't want to dip her itchy fingers into. It doesn't matter whose money it is - she must steal it. 

Lately, you have seen the outgoing governor dancing herself lame at Artisanal Mines in the East and South. You wonder what is her obsession with the artisanal mining that is not even well supported. Well, wonder no more. In this venture, Ngilu has seen a goldmine, to reap from the sweat of suffering and toiling artisanal miners who spend their days burrowing on ground like moles. 

The cohort of artisanal miners has been brought together and charged up to hit and pulverize the earth with fury and vigour, looking for that very precious mineral. But where do they sell it?

Well, our investigations have revealed that the money thirsty governor has assembled a cartel of two brokers who have been tasked with collecting these minerals and amassing it at a specially prepared godown at Ngilu's Ithookwe farm. 

These two mercenaries, we reliably established, have been picked from the so called governor's manifesto team. They are Blackie Wamukoya and Ngilu's nephew Nene Nzyuko. They have been aptly nicknamed by colleagues Money Pests.

Whenever a consignment of minerals is brought from the field by the haggard and poverty ravaged miners, these two crooks or their handlers hurriedly swoop in and buy out the stuff at throwaway prices. The raw stuff is then stashed in boxes and carted in a pickup to Ithookwe farm.

"The mined stuff is weighed crookedly and the miners who have no idea what they are holding are dismissed with either 100 or 200 shillings per kilo of whatever it is they are carrying. Often times a wheelbarrow is bought at 700 shillings by the Ngilu cartel" our top detective mole reported to us. 

From Ithookwe, Nene, the most solitary of the two Money Pests is dispatched to Nairobi to look for market. Here, we have established that Nene has made contacts with some Mhindi buyers at Grogon Area who operate around Brass Plate hotel. It is here, where the artisanal miners commodity is offloaded, sifted, weighed and sold at good prices to well oiled middlemen for onward processing in Pakistan, India, Nepal and other Asian countries. The money finds its way to the governor's bottomless pockets.

"Artisanal miners are the most misused people anywhere. It is worse here in Kitui. That is why I decided not to venture into it even after the training. It is meant to benefit only a few, mostly a cartel" an artisanal miner who is busy doing other things whispered to us. 

Our top mole revealed that Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai in whose constituency most of the small time mining is happening got wind of the scheme to defraud the miners and raised an alarm. 

However as soon as the money thirsty Mbai shouted, he was immediately approached by the cartel and handed a fat envelop, with a promise to eat more. He went quiet like a Buffalo on labour pains that is also fearing to attract the attention of lions.

More coming up. Plus a former Kitui MP who has impregnated a slayqueen and gone berserk on her. Full details 

Nzaa and yua ravaged artisanal miners in Kitui East.