| dc.description.abstract | ABSTRACT
Land is the most coveted and jealously guarded resource for Socio-economic
development among Kenyan rural households. Most artisanal gold miners are from
socially and economically marginalized communities, and turn to mining in order to
escape extreme poverty, unemployment and landlessness. Sometime the gold is present
but very tiny or should we say in low and unexpected quantities especially when you look
at the depth of the mines. The Knowledge Gap that the study sought to fill was that while
agriculture undeniably remains the backbone of most African economies, the people of
Ikolomani still dwelt in abject poverty despite their pre-occupation in artisanal mining.
The main Objective of the study was to examine the socio-economic impact of artisanal
gold mining in Ikolomani division, Kakamega County, Kenya. This study was guided by
the following specific objectives; Evaluating the socio-economic benefits of gold mining
in Ikolomani division, Examining how the presence of mines has affected cultural
relations in Ikolomani division, Establishing factors that would comply with modern
mining and environmental regulations in Ikolomani division. The researcher employed
descriptive design. The study's theoretical framework adopted the theory of cumulative
and cyclical interdependencies. In the selected locations the Study Population was 870
respondents as provided by Western Provincial Geology and Mines (WPGM, 20 II) of
which 10 % were adopted in the study, therefore the target population narrowed to 87
respondents. The study adopted stratified random sampling technique to draw a sample
from the Target population. Stratification allowed the investigation of the characteristics
of interest for particular subgroups. Data collection was from two main sources; primary
and secondary. Secondary sources included relevant documents and reports. In using
Primary sources data was collected from selected respondents using Focused Group
Discussions and Questionnaires. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)
computer software was used for analysis. The study's major conclusion was that the gold
fields did not improve the social and economic life of the people of Ikolomani. The
study's major recommendation was that there was need to improve on the Economic
amenities in lkolomani division by government and investor through forging economic
partnerships. This would rejuvenate economic activities and improve on the livelihoods
of the inhabitants. The Study's further recommendation was that there is need to establish
the viability of new advanced mining technologies with regard to enhanced productivity
at the Gold mines in Ikolomani Division. | en_US |
