The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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A peaceful protest against illegal sand mining in Mwingi, Kitui County, turned deadly on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, leaving one person dead and several others injured.
The victim, 70-year-old Mzee Mwendwa Maluki of Kaunguni Village, Waita Ward, died at Mwingi Level Four Hospital after sustaining multiple injuries during a violent attack at the seasonal River Mwania in Waita Location, Mwingi Central.
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Another seriously injured villager was transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital for specialized care, while ten others received treatment and were discharged.
On the morning of the incident, around 100 residents, including men, women, and the elderly, had gathered to protest the uncontrolled and illegal sand harvesting along the river. However, a lorry carrying armed men—equipped with pangas, machetes, rungus, and catapults—attacked the group, beating, kicking, and scattering them in a sudden ambush.
The assailants, reportedly supported by some locals and foreigners, fled the scene with the lorry amid the chaos. Mzee Maluki was cornered, beaten, and left bleeding from deep wounds.
Eyewitnesses described the attack as carefully planned by an organized cartel that collaborates with police and government officials to exploit the community.
“When these cartels exploit the rivers, they bribe leaders and claim to create jobs for youth. But in reality, they rob our community and steal our future,” a villager said.
Following the attack, Kiambu County Senator Enoch Wambua visited the affected village to offer condolences to the family of the deceased and extend support to the injured. Wambua, also Deputy Senate Minority Whip, demanded a strict ban on sand harvesting across river basins in Mwingi, Garissa, and Tana River areas.
He accused security agencies of complicity in allowing illegal sand mining despite a court order prohibiting the practice.
“This blatant disregard by authorities only serves the interests of sand cartels. Our rivers are being destroyed, and I will not watch this continue,” Wambua stated.
At a public meeting in Kaunguni, residents called for disciplinary action against a provincial administrator allegedly colluding with sand miners. Wambua acknowledged the personal risks he faces from cartels but vowed to continue fighting for the county’s safety and environmental preservation.
“I am ready to pay the ultimate price for my county. Those responsible will be known, and as long as I live, I will stand fearlessly for the welfare of our people and our environment,” the senator declared.
