Explosives industry demand new law
Lt Gen James Mugira, the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) managing director. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Explosives such as Ammonium Nitrate/ Fuel Oil, he said, could end up in wrong hands.
- Gen Mugira also appealed to Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) to ensure that contractors cease using rudimentary methods of destructing buildings.
Kampala. Explosives manufacturers have appealed to government to formulate a new law to streamline and incorporate the current needs of the industry.
Speaking during a training session of commercial blasters in Kampala at the weekend, Lt Gen James Mugira, the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) managing director, said the current laws governing production and use of explosives have been overtaken by new developments.
“There has been unprecedented advancements in science and technology since 1936 when the current law was enacted,” he said, noting that list of explosives under the Act must be updated.
For instance, Gen Mugira said, emulsified explosives, which started in the US in the 1960s and ammonium nitrate-based explosive are not included on the list of explosives, which has led to laxity in operations associated with explosives.
NEC is the commercial arm of the Ministry of Defence and the holding company of Luweero Industries.
Gen Mugira cited the manual mixing of Ammonium Nitrate/ Fuel Oil (ANFO), which accounts for about 70 and 80 per cent of total explosives used as a key area with large lapses.
Ammonium Nitrate/ Fuel Oil is normally used on blast sites such as stone quarries.
“One of our concerns is that the ANFO now used in Uganda is mainly prepared just on the blast site by using crude manual mixing of ammonium nitrate and diesel which in itself has some disadvantages,” he said.
Absence of effective supervision and control by the responsible government units, he noted, is likely to create a security risk.
Uganda, through Kyoga Dynamics, and a joint venture with China Wan Bao Engineering Corporation formed in 2015, export explosives and their components to East African countries.
Gen Mugira said the absence of a proper law offers criminals an opportunity to acquire the materials, which they could use to threaten social security and stability.
Explosives such as Ammonium Nitrate/ Fuel Oil, he said, could end up in wrong hands.
Gen Mugira also appealed to Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) to ensure that contractors cease using rudimentary methods of destructing buildings.
