Two killed killed as crime is on the rise, illegal migrants join gemstone trade in coastal Kenya

Two killed killed as crime is on the rise, illegal migrants join gemstone trade in coastal Kenya

Updated Saturday, October 19th 2013 at 13:58 GMT +3

By RENSON MNYAMWEZI

TAITA-TAVETA, KENYA:

By RENSON MNYAMWEZI

Two businessmen have been killed and another seriously injured in separate incidents in Taita-Taveta County.

Police said the gunmen fled away with unknown amount of money among other valuables.

“A manhunt for the runway suspects has been launched,” said County Police Commander Richard Bitonga.

“The gangsters also attacked and critically injured another gemstone dealer who is recuperating in hospital,” said Bitonga.

At the same time police and Ministry of Mining officials have arrested 12 foreigners for engaging in mining business and others for being in the country illegally.

Other eight

Bitonga said police arrested three Sri Lankan nationals and an Indian for illegally engaging in mining business in Voi town.

The County Geologist Edward Omito said the Indian national was found with 14 kilogrammes of green tomaline, two kilogrammes of ruby and more than four kilogrammes of yellow tomaline all valued at about Sh200,000.

Bitonga said the other eight Ethiopians who had no travel documents were arrested in a house in the outskirts of Voi town. “The Ethiopians were found in a house and their destination is still unknown,” he said.

“We are still looking for the owner of the house and once we find him, we will charge him with habouring aliens,” said Bitonga.

They said the Sri Lankans were arrested in a guest house in the town. The suspects were doing mining business without following the laid down mining regulations. They have been handed over to the Immigration officials in Mombasa for interrogation and prosecution,” said Omito.

The incident comes after the Mines department closed two gemstone dealers’ shops in Voi town for operating illegally.

“The gemstone dealers opened offices without a license. They have also been colluding with Sri Lankans to perpetrate illegal mining business,” said Omito.

The incident comes at a time when the country is losing billions of shillings through smuggling mineral racket involving unscrupulous rich foreign gemstone dealers and miners.

The influential mining cartels mainly from Sri Lanka and Tanzania come to buy minerals and later smuggle them out of the country through undesignated routes along the porous Kenya-Tanzania border.

Denied access

The cartels are said to be controlling the markets and prices of gemstones and local dealers are denied access. Omito said the foreign dealers are colluding with local dealers to perpetrate the vice hence bringing down the mining business.

He said the foreigners buy the gemstones and disappear without following exit points.

“The Sri Lankans are sly and do not follow the right mining procedures. Let them do clear business. Some of them pretend to be tourists and later buy gemstones and smuggle the commodities out of Tanzania,” he said.

Speaking to The Counties in Voi town, Omito noted that some of the foreigners do not have licenses. He said they only have tourist visas.

He said some local mineral dealers were perfecting the practice by giving out their offices to these illegal foreign dealers. “Some of the foreigners hire local dealers’ offices to buy gemstones and later give ten per cent after of the total sales while the government earns nothing from the illegal deals,” he said.

No provision

Omito said the law has no provision for a wider of a mineral dealer license to assist in exploration of minerals which he was not dealt with. He said Minerals for export are verified by the wardens of Mines in the presence of the Export Customs officer at the nearest point of exit before they are sealed and exports permits and other document approved.

“It is wrong for local gemstone dealers to invite foreigners who are not licensed to use their offices for their illegal businesses. Some of these foreigners are using mineral dealer’s license from local dealers which is against the law,” he cautioned.

He warned that registered gemstone dealers found colluding with unscrupulous foreigners to evade taxes would face the full force of the law if found.

“We want mining to be done in a diligent way,” he said.

Omito said the crafty foreigners buy tomaline and smuggle it out of Tanzania through undesignated routes at Kasigau and Kuranze areas using motorbikes.

“The foreigners must have business visas and if they do not, then they have no business staying here. We want to have real players in the mining business for it to flourish,” he said.

The region is known to contain more than 485 types of industrial minerals and another 197 of semi-precious nature.