The puzzle of Barrick Gold mine versus community conflict

Sunday, March 16, 2014 — updated on April 03, 2021 - 10 min read

Ms Ghati Metsela, a resident of Nyamichele Hamlet in Nyakunguru Village, Tarime District, voices at a past event her objections to the compensation of Sh30 million for the 70 acres of land that African Barrick Gold Mine North Mara took away from the village. Questions still linger in the manner in which the mining company relates to the surrounding communities . photo | file

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The problem stems from the mistaken idea that the gold belongs to the local community. “What they’re doing is illegal, the commander added. “It’s our duty as police to control the situation.”

The family complained to police but were told that Ghati was a criminal who was fighting the police. They then went to Barrick and began to follow the company’s grievance process but became discouraged when the process dragged on for months. The mine and the villagers have been in conflict since it opened in 2002. North Mara was developed by a subsidiary of Placer Dome, a Canadian mining company. Placer Dome was bought by Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold in 2006. The mining operations were then taken over by African Barrick Gold. “Some of the grievances Barrick is trying to handle were inherited from the mine’s previous owners,” says Jeremiah Minja, a land and natural resources officer in the district and the leader of a government task force overseeing the expansion of the mine site.

The puzzle of Barrick Gold mine versus community conflict

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