There is a huge deposit of gold underground in Kakamega County in Kenya.
The news can be read with satisfaction for the pockets of those who will get rich there, which rarely means the local population, but it opens up disturbing scenarios if you think of the battles, even bloody ones, that the precious metal has unleashed especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
By drilling to a depth of more than 200 metres, an exploration company, 'Shanta Gold', has discovered an enormous deposit that could be extended into 13 different mines that have already been explored in recent months, in an area of about 1200 square kilometres.
In the Bushiangala and Ikolomani districts, there could be resources of at least EUR 2 billion.
In the past, the counties of Kakamega and Vihiga had already been the focus of studies and explorations, with environmentalists fighting to prevent drilling from affecting the splendid and extremely important Kakamega forest, in terms of ecosystem and climate.
For now, the mining sector in the area is entirely artisanal, with more than 8,000 miners who do not have the right tools to dig very deep and are content with the precious metals they can obtain from mines that are not too deep. This does not exclude the danger of their work.
The local association of miners is obviously asking not to be excluded from the possible start of operations, which could begin in 2022 after the closure of the cores.
"We need skills and tools to work like any other miner," Kakamega miners' president Timothy Muturi told the press, "If we are given the opportunity to work, we will make huge profits and work in safer environments.
It is to be hoped, however, that the institutions will be able to monitor any "gold hunting" by third parties who not only have no connection with the area, but also fail to respect the environment and the people who have always lived there, even in the face of modest earnings.