Artisanal gold mining in East Africa is rife with tax evasion, falsified export permits, mercury smuggling, illicit sales of detonators, illegal cross-border movement of miners, child labour and even arms trafficking. In this study, we argue that although gold mining supports millions of livelihoods, the absence of proper legal frameworks sustains organised criminality within the sector.

About the authors

Willis Okumu is the ENACT Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, Nairobi.

Halkano Wario is the ENACT Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator for East Africa at the Institute for Security Studies, Nairobi.

Image: Adapted from Geff24/Wikimedia Commons