This brief summarizes disturbing issues that arose in interviews conducted by MiningWatch Canada in August 2018 with male Kuria villagers who are victims of excess use of force by mine security and are now participants, at various stages, in the North Mara Gold Mine’s new Operation-level Grievance Mechanism. This brief also provides initial findings based on MiningWatch’s review of some “Case Summaries” and “Remediation Plans” prepared by the mine’s Community Impacts & Remediation Investigation Team in regard to the victims that were interviewed. Our findings include:
- The great disparity in power between the company, which exerts significant control over the mechanism, and the victims is not addressed and leaves the victims greatly disadvantaged as they proceed through the mechanism
- The process as it has been unfolding in practice is not reflective of what is set out in the mine’s Standard Operating Procedure. Earlier this year MiningWatch published a detailed critique of the mine’s Standard Operating Procedure.
- The victims interviewed by MiningWatch who have completed the process and received "remedy" cheques all expressed dismay at the process they experienced and the remedy they received, which they say does not reflect or remediate the harm they and their dependents have endured.