Kisumu Governor Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o has ordered an immediate ban on all quarrying activities in the county following the tragic drowning of four young boys in an abandoned quarry at Kudho, Kisumu Central Sub-County.
In a statement issued to media houses on Monday, the governor said the boys, sons of Mr. Felix Okoth, lost their lives after falling into an open and unsafe quarry, describing the incident as a devastating tragedy that should never have happened.
“This is a most painful tragedy. The loss of a child is unbearable; the loss of four children at once is beyond words,” Nyong’o said, conveying his condolences to the bereaved family on behalf of the County Government and the people of Kisumu.
He noted that the deaths were not only a loss to one family, but to the Kudho Primary School community, Kisumu Central Sub-County, and the entire county, saying the children represented “future professionals, leaders, and servants of our society.”
The governor said the tragedy exposed dangerous gaps in the regulation of quarrying activities, warning that open, unregulated, and abandoned quarries pose a grave risk to public safety.
“With utmost clarity, this is a tragedy that could and should have been prevented,” he said. “The safety of our children and citizens cannot be compromised by negligence, disregard for the law, or irresponsible exploitation of our environment.”
With immediate effect, Nyong’o directed that:
All quarrying activities, including murram and sand harvesting, across Kisumu County be suspended.
Only operators with valid legal approvals and enforceable safety standards be considered for resumption.
No quarry or mining activity be allowed to operate without a clear, time-bound land rehabilitation and restoration plan.
The governor further ordered the Kisumu County Department of Environment, in collaboration with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Office of the County Commissioner, to immediately constitute a joint task force.
The task force will conduct a comprehensive audit of all quarries in the county, enforce compliance with safety and environmental laws, and take legal action against illegal operators.
“We owe it to the memory of these four young boys to act decisively, so that no other family in Kisumu County suffers such unbearable grief,” Nyong’o said.
He prayed for strength and comfort for the bereaved family and said the county would stand with them during the difficult period.
