Kenya is comprised of multiple towns, each with a sense of individuality. For Kakamega, this uniqueness is in part owed to its being the only town that grew during the 20th century gold rush. The town was established as a defense post by the British government in 1903, but its development moved at a snail’s pace for several years. It became the headquarters for Kakamega district in 1920, and while this was a boost to its status, the town square remained relatively small, with only a handful of dukas dotting the vicinity.
In 1931, the Great American Depression was in full effect and its impact on other world economies was evident. British settler farmers, who were going bankrupt by the dozen, were selling their belongings to survive the recession. During this time, gold-prospecting in Kakamega region had begun and was proving fruitful. News of these findings spread at wildfire speed and in no time, impoverished settlers across the country packed up and moved to Kakamega. The small sleepy township quickly transformed into a thriving hub, with other prospectors spilling out onto neighbouring areas such as Migori and Yala. Within a year, Kakamega had transformed into a vibrant town with a large settlement of miners.
With the influx of miners in the town, the colonial government stepped in to regulate the industry and give it some structure. Mining licenses were introduced and mining land was restricted to 300 by 100 feet per person. Many opted to pan for gold in streams, while the few who could afford it invested in equipment and practiced reef mining. Within a few years, sighting of gold nuggets in shallow waters became scarce and alluvial mining began to decline. This weeded out most of the artisanal miners and left the big players on the field including Rosterman’s Gold Mines, who set up shop in 1935. But that very year, in a bid to fight off the effects of the Great Depression, Italy waged war on neighbouring Abyssinia to plunder the country of its natural resources. The proximity of this war prevented the growth of the gold mine industry and investment began drying up. The well continued to run low until 1952 when Rosterman’s finally threw in the towel, deeming the remaining gold resources to be commercially invaluable.
While the rest of the country gave up on this mineral, those who lived around the mines of Kakamega never ceased to search for the precious metal in the belly of the earth. Small-scale mining continued taking place and every once in a while, the mines would reward a hardworking prospector with a gold nugget.
After 60 years of relative dormancy, mining in Kakamega was finally revived in 2012, with the first gold bar exported from the country that same year. The success of this venture led to more research on the gold ores of western Kenya. After years of believing the Ikolomani mines of Kakamega to be exhausted, they are now estimated to hold 1.31 million ounces of gold.
From the gold boom of the 30s to the present-day findings, gold has without a doubt shaped the posterity of Kakamega town. The current discovery is all thanks to the residents who kept the mines alive when nobody else did.
