Police officers face arrest over grabbing gold mine

The State House Anticorruption Unit and CID are investigating a case where officers of the Police Mineral Protection Unit is accused of chasing an investor from a gold mine and taking it over for a year.

The officers are accused of abuse of office and frustrating Kisita Mining Company that had been licensed to operate the gold mine in Kasanda Distrct.

Particulars of the complaint filed in the Anti-Corruption Unit in 2018, state that under the disguise of carrying out investigations, police officers barred the company team from accessing the gold mine and took over it as a scene of crime.
“The police has instead granted access to the mine to more than 500 local miners led by Johnny Nsasirwe and others who have no shareholding or interest in Kisita Mining Company,” reads the complaint lodged by Horizon Energy, principal owners of the subsidiary Kisita Mining Company, based in the United Arab Emirates.

The complainants allege that the illegal miners appointed have not only destroyed the company’s machinery but are also actively extracting gold without paying taxes.

It is further alleged that the police officers had also resorted to threatening the management team with arrest on trumped-up charges.

“The issues, if true, are very grave and have the potential to ruin our country’s reputation as an attractive destination for foreign direct investment thereby affecting our economic growth,” said Lt Col Edith Nakalema, who heads the Anti-corruption Unit. She told the investigators meeting in Kampala on Wednesday to explore how the matter can be resolved.

The meeting convened jointly by Lt Col Nakalema and Minister of State for Mineral Development Sarah Opendi Achieng at the State House in Kampala was attended by senior government officials including the police Director of Operations Asuman Mugenyi and Uganda Revenue Authority officials.

She directed the detectives to arrest the CID officer attached to the Police Mineral Protection Unit, Mr Caleb Tashobya. The unit commandant, Ms Jessica Keigomba, was also interrogated for hours and asked to record a statement. She was later released on police bond.

The duo was quizzed on their mode of operation during which they have been detaining people including government officials without charges.

They are accused of stealthily handing over foreign suspects to Interpol for deportation without the consent of the CID Director, Ms Grace Akullo.

Lt Col Nakalema said police would lead the investigations but Tashobya is a suspect who must be detained while Ms Keigomba would record a statement.

“The commandant of minerals, we want a statement from her because it is not acceptable for a unit commandant to undermine the CID director like that. You have to respect the authority and hierarchy,” Lt Col Nakalema said.

It is alleged that Ms Keigomba signed a letter withdrawing charges against the investor, Mr Mustafa Semih Gecgil, who contends that he was arrested and detained numerous times.

Mr Gecgil said the police Mineral Protection Unit officers led by Ms Keigomba arrested his son for alleged illegal mining.
Minister Opendi directed police to provide security to Mr Gecgil to allow the investor carry out his business uninterrupted.

“Effective today (Wednesday), nobody should go back to the said mining area. The regional police commander of the area should ensure law and order and whoever is accessing the mining area must be an employee or authorised agent by the investor,” Opendi ordered.

She directed police to hand over the gold mine to Uganda Revenue Authority which will in turn hand it over to the investor.
Ms Opendi said there is a mutual agreement between Kisita Mining Company and Horizon Energy, where the proprietor, Mr Gecgil is supposed to take over the mine in liaison with one Ismail Mawanda.

The Police Mineral Protection Unit was also asked to carry out an inventory of the mine to show what its status was in 2018 and today.

Background
In 2015, Horizon Energy acquired 56 per cent shares in Kisita Mining Company from Slavoljub Trifunovic (26 per cent) and Johnnie Ssasirwe and Edward Senfuma (30 per cent), thus becoming the majority shareholder in the company. The company paid $ 3,310,000 (about Shs12b) for the shares. Kisita company operates the gold mine under mining lease ML 4603.
Upon acquiring the majority stake in the company, the investor entered an agreement with the other shareholders (Abbas Mawanda and Ismail Mawanda) for joint management of Kisita Mining Company in which they have invested up to $7,689,372 (about Shs28b).

[email protected]