Police in Tarime district blamed over the deaths of two people

SOME villagers living near North Mara Gold mine located at Nyamongo area in Tarime district have refuted reports issued by the police in the district over the deaths of the two people which occurred in a mysterious condition on Tuesday this week within the gold mine area. Earlier statement by RPC for Tarime/Rorya special police zone issued to the media and signed on his behalf by ACP Sweetbert Njewike on Wednesday this week is quoted as saying that, the deceased died when they fell on a gold pit within the mine while busy searching for precious gemstones. Speaking in an exclusive interview on Thursday this week at Nyamongo, almost everybody said that, the deceased were shot by the police on duty guarding the quarry after they had illegally forced their entry into the mining site with intent to steal the preserved precious gemstones. According to the statement a copy of which has been made available to the Guardian by the police, says that, at around 15:30 hrs at a gold mine pit located at Kewanja village at Kemondo ward, one person whose name was not immediately established died instantly after having fell on a pit. The statement further is quoted as saying that, another person named Samwel Cheiro died at Tarime district hospital shortly after he was admitted after having sustained serious injuries and was undertaking treatment. The statement also named one person Weisiko Mwita a resident of Magome village who was rushed to the hospital after having sustained minor injuries in a grisly incident which the police said was unavoidable in any circumstances. The reports about the deaths of the two people reached the Guardian newspaper on Tuesday evening, as news had quickly spread in the town and several people including the bereaved family members had gathered at the hospital to find out the truth about the matter which none of them seemed not to brother as these are normal thing happening at Nyamongo gold mine. Preliminary investigation by the Guardian about the matter started at the district hospital where the victims were taken after the incident, and an officer in-charge at the hospital could not be able to reveal the situation when contacted for comment saying that he was not a spokesperson. Efforts to contact the District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr. Nega Nyekeboko on Wednesday morning were successful after having admitted the presence of the victims who were brought to the hospital the previous day, and that he was very busy to do the medical postmortem on the deceased. However, he confirmed to the Guardian that two deceased had a bullet wound but could not specify where had these occurred to them. He named the two as Samwel Cheiro and Jeremiah Joash. The Guardian investigations could not end there after having realized that, there were two different statements with different clarifications connoting the same incident. This is when the police said the two died after having fallen on a gold pit, while the DMO maintained that, they had been gunned down with proof discovered of a bullet wound on their bodies. “Three people had been brought at the hospital when one of them was already dead, and the other died later while being attendee by the nurses. The third person is still at the hospital in a critical condition receiving treatment”,  he said .

 

People from different six villages surrounding the Nyamongo Gold Mine in Tarime district hurry up with looting taking gemstones being preserved in a quarry and disperse once they feel the presence of policemen around them.

The two contradictory statements has dismayed many including the writer of this news, and in order to be certain of the natter, the Guardian went further to meet the spokesperson of the North Mara Gold mine where the incident happened. A cordial welcome by this reporter at the main gate entering the offices of a giant mining company in the country on Thursday this week bore no fruits as the acting information officer could not give a detailed information about what had transpired and the fate of the deceased people when enquired for the truth. The firm’s Community Development Manager Sulleiman Monata told this reporter in a telephone call through a receptionist that, the police were working on the matter and that, if I could want to get to know the information, his company was not ready to give but the police knew it very well. The tragic killings of the two people in Nyamongo gold mine site has become the talk of the day almost everywhere in Tarime town and on the outskirts of it. Some villagers who spoke in favour of the police said that, the government should have set apart a portion for the small scale miners to operate in order to earn their living. Maginga Chacha who lives at Nyangoto village which is among the six villages surrounding the gold mine said that, it is impossible to see one starving while seeing precious gemstones believe d to be having gold in them exposed in pile, this would automatically attract people to invade them. He exclusively narrated that a group of youths in his village used to form a company to invade the area with intent to steal the gemstones without fearing the presence of the police who keep guard of the area throughout 24 hours. He noted that, there are several incidences of the people being shot by the police to death, and some have been left with body disabilities as a result of bullet wound, while others have been killing themselves when they see other fellows have managed to get pieces and resort to fight each others in order to snatch. Sylvanus Wankyo a resident of Nyakunguru which is also close to the mining site, noted that, is has become a normal thing for the police use force once attacked by the rowdy youths who tend to invade them while guarding the gemstones with intent to steal them. He said that, sometimes one could get more money from these stones if crushed and process them for production and sell. He said adding that, one could get between Sh. 2 million and Sh. 10 million for a single gemstone weighing between 400 and 600 grams. In view of this, he has blamed the police for what they described as violation of human rights for they use live bullets to their suspects as aspect which is contrary to what the police are supposed to do.