A raft of reforms has been initiated to crack down on illegal gold mining in a bid to end the spate of deaths in West Pokot County.
In a renewed bid to restore order in the lucrative trade, the county government has required all gold miners to apply for official licences.
The county government has also urged small-scale miners to form cooperatives to empower locals and shield them from exploitation by larger and often unlicensed operators.
Besides the formation of the cooperatives, Mining Principal Secretary Harry Kimutai also urged the county government to form a community development agreement association to be in charge of royalties, which will be paid directly through the licenses.
