By Manuel Odeny, @TheNyanzaNews

Chinese investors and locals at Macalder gold and copper mines in Nyatike sub-county, Migori county in Kenya clashed over resources as tension continue to simmer.

Macalder-Kanyarwanda MCA Felix Okwanyo who was elected in a ward covering the area led over 3,000 gold and copper miners to try and push out a company associated with Chinese from the area.

“We have been partnering with the Chinese and their firm for the past decade and for the entire time nothing good has come from them in our area,” Okwanyo said.

READ ALSO: KHRC to join Odege, locals to seek court orders to prevent exploitation of Macalder gold mines

He said as locals they have watched as Chinese miners have been taking away ore, making millions and not giving back to the society.

Locals said when they started they had agreement to offer bursary to locals, build schools and improve health and water infrastructure in the area which has stalled so far.

“We are here to say that we want to get the Chinese to leave the area,” Okwanyo said.

The MCA was among local leaders who pushed for the entry of Chinese miners in the area, which at first was met with conflict where a road grader was burnt down by locals.

“We have been living with them here, but we are only seeing them making millions while we remain poorer, they should leave,” Jane Atieno a miner said.

She said before the coming of Chinese miners in the area which was left by British colonialists their lives was smooth.

“Our men used to go in the mines, get ore and we had something to eat. Now our lives have changed completely as there are no ore left for us,” Atieno said.

READ ALSO: (VIDEO) Okwanyo ups Macalder-Kanyarwanda MCA race against Duro with Sh4m water project launch

But speaking to the press, Abdi ‘Calaph’ Hassan one of the directors of the company said Okwanyo was led by greed in stoking up tension after he got another investor to bring in the area.

Okwanyo, alongside Hassan and two other directors called Steve and a Chinese investor Shu Xhang started the company which got a lease from a gold mining license holder Red Rock Resources to start in the area.

Okwanyo during the interview agreed to be among directors, but claimed that the community was shortchanged a claim Hassan has refuted saying the MCA was engulfed by greed.

This is after the firm completed setting up a gold leaching factory and wanted to scale up their operations.

“We have done four CSRs for water by drilling boreholes, we have employed 81 people there is no problem, the issue is greed because one of the directors have negotiated with other people outside our earlier agreement,” Hassan said.

Hassan said what happen was a breach of contract and they will move to court because and the other director called Steve were to represent the community interest and had money channeled through them.

“We heavily invested in the area with Chinese, we have machines, factory and other investment we cant have people wake up one day and incite the community against us,” Hassan said.

He said already Okwanyo and the other director have approached another investor who was supposed to come in the area within weeks and they will seek redress with court.