In the quiet dawn of Osiri Matanda, Migori County, Benice Akinyi begins another day haunted by the past. A tiny grave outside her home is a constant reminder of the toll that gold mining has taken on her family. For almost a decade, Benice has processed gold using mercury with her bare hands an invisible danger that claimed the life of her youngest child, born with severe defects and gone at just 18 months.
Benice’s story is tragically common among women working in artisanal gold mines. Her pregnancy was marked by complications, and doctors later confirmed that mercury in her body caused her baby’s condition. Too afraid to risk another pregnancy, Benice remains trapped in this dangerous work due to lack of alternatives. Despite previously working as an early childhood educator, the meager income forced her back into the mines.
Like many women miners, Benice grinds ore, mixes it with mercury, and inhales toxic vapors daily. In the process, she is also exposed to silica dust, which leads to chronic respiratory illnesses. Her reality is a brutal trade-off between economic survival and the slow degradation of her health.
Not far away, Eunice Atieno has been working under similar conditions for nearly 20 years. Her declining health includes failing eyesight caused by mercury poisoning, which has also affected her husband. Once a fellow miner, he can no longer work or walk unaided, pushing all responsibilities including financial ones onto Eunice. The family, now living on a single income, cannot afford treatment.
Caroline Atieno shares a similar fate. A widow and sole provider for her children, she continues to work despite suffering from chest and skin ailments. Quitting is not an option; without her daily earnings, the family would starve. The work is relentless digging, crushing, and washing ore for uncertain returns. Though women perform the riskiest tasks, including direct mercury handling, they are barred from the more lucrative mining shafts.
Mercury exposure in these communities has become a silent epidemic. Long-term contact damages the lungs, kidneys, and nervous system. It is especially dangerous to unborn babies, leading to birth defects and neurological damage. Water and air around mining sites are heavily contaminated, posing ongoing risks to entire communities.
A recent study found alarmingly high levels of mercury, manganese, and lead in water and soil samples from mining sites. These toxic metals accumulate in the human body and the environment, affecting health long after exposure ends. Researchers have confirmed that mercury vapor released during processing spreads through wind and rain, contaminating vegetation and water sources.
Despite these findings, most affected miners remain silent, fearing regulatory action that could shut down their only source of income. The government has acknowledged the risks but lacks comprehensive local data. Promises of safer mercury substitutes remain unfulfilled, leaving miners waiting for help that never comes.
Women, who form the majority of the artisanal mining workforce, face unique hardships. They earn significantly less than men, often relying on discarded ore and facing exploitation, including harassment, to access better materials. Their roles expose them to greater health risks while offering minimal financial rewards.
For women like Benice, Eunice, and Caroline, the gold they mine is tainted by the cost of their health, their families, and their futures. Their daily struggle reveals a system in urgent need of reform. Without immediate action to provide safer alternatives and economic support, more lives will be lost to mercury the silent killer in Kenya’s gold mines.
