Government stuck with illegal miners
People search for gold in one of the mines in Nakudi village, Banda Sub-county, Namayingo District. PHOTO BY DAVID AWORI
Kampala. Government is stuck with illegal mining activities by artisanal miners in the country, the state minister for Minerals, Peter Lokeris has admitted.
Speaking at the closing of the conference on Governance of Extractives in East Africa at the Speak Resort Munyonyo over the weekend, he said the options for government were limited especially for the people involved in the gold rush like scenes in Namayingo District last month.
“Illegal miners must exist because we have nothing to do about it at the moment. If we chase them away, where will they go? What we must do is formalise their operations,” Mr Lokeris told delegates.
There have been demands from civil society, members of Parliament and artisanal mining associations to have small-scale mining formalised in the current review of the law. There is an ongoing review of the Mining Act 2003, which has been criticised for being weak and vague on the status of artisanal mining.
“The overdue review of the mineral policy and amendment to the Mining Act is currently being finalised through the new processes and we are confident that the reforms will be concluded during the tenure of the current Parliament,”Mr Lokeris added.
Last month, there was a gold rush in Namayingo District, where an estimated 20,000 people descended on Nakudi village, Banda Sub-county. There are at least in excess of 150,000 Ugandans involved in artisanal mining in Uganda at the moment, however, they are considered illegal due to the lack of mining licences.
To apply for a mining licence, the law requires proof of financial capability, recoverable resources and adherence to health and safety standards.
Mr Emmanuel Kibirige from the Singo Artisanal Miners Association, in Mubende, told Daily Monitor that most of their members lack financial capacity, but he demanded that the rules for artisanal miners are relaxed.
“For the last two years, I have attended meetings all over the country about us getting formalised, but I am still considered an illegal miner,” he said.
