What began as a fight over land, gold and relocation in Ramula, Siaya County, has now erupted into one of the most volatile mining disputes in the country.
At the heart of the crisis is Shanta Gold Kenya’s planned open-pit mining project in Ramula-Mwibona, part of its wider West Kenya Project. The company says 2026 is meant to be the year of financing, early works and implementation of a Resettlement Action Plan ahead of construction readiness. But on the ground, that resettlement process has become the flashpoint of a bitter and dangerous conflict.
Residents have been resisting possible displacement for years. Community members and rights groups have repeatedly argued that the project threatens ancestral homes, farmland, gravesites, and livelihoods, while raising serious questions about consent, compensation, and whether locals will truly benefit from the gold beneath their feet.
The matter also spilled into court. In January, the Environment and Land Court in Siaya refused to issue interim orders to stop mining-related approvals, halt consents, or block evictions, saying no immediate threat of eviction had been demonstrated at that stage. Even so, the underlying petition remains unresolved, leaving the wider dispute alive.
Now the conflict has turned deadly. Two people were killed on April 7 after protests over alleged evictions escalated into clashes with police at Ramula Police Post. A day later, the violence spread further, with homes torched, dozens of officers injured, and deepening divisions inside the community itself.
The emerging picture is of a community split between those who see mining as an opportunity and those who see it as dispossession. And with reports that more than 1,200 households could be affected by the relocation programme, the Ramula gold project is no longer just a mining story. It is now a test of whether Kenya can balance investment, community rights, public trust, and security without pushing a local dispute into a full-blown crisis
At the heart of the crisis is Shanta Gold Kenya’s planned open-pit mining project in Ramula-Mwibona, part of its wider West Kenya Project. The company says 2026 is meant to be the year of financing, early works and implementation of a Resettlement Action Plan ahead of construction readiness. But on the ground, that resettlement process has become the flashpoint of a bitter and dangerous conflict.
Residents have been resisting possible displacement for years. Community members and rights groups have repeatedly argued that the project threatens ancestral homes, farmland, gravesites, and livelihoods, while raising serious questions about consent, compensation, and whether locals will truly benefit from the gold beneath their feet.
The matter also spilled into court. In January, the Environment and Land Court in Siaya refused to issue interim orders to stop mining-related approvals, halt consents, or block evictions, saying no immediate threat of eviction had been demonstrated at that stage. Even so, the underlying petition remains unresolved, leaving the wider dispute alive.
Now the conflict has turned deadly. Two people were killed on April 7 after protests over alleged evictions escalated into clashes with police at Ramula Police Post. A day later, the violence spread further, with homes torched, dozens of officers injured, and deepening divisions inside the community itself.
The emerging picture is of a community split between those who see mining as an opportunity and those who see it as dispossession. And with reports that more than 1,200 households could be affected by the relocation programme, the Ramula gold project is no longer just a mining story. It is now a test of whether Kenya can balance investment, community rights, public trust, and security without pushing a local dispute into a full-blown crisis
