Anxiety as govt starts mineral surveys in Teso

The ongoing aerial prospecting for minerals in parts of Teso Sub-region has caused fear and anxiety among some residents, who say they may lose land whose ownership they are contesting with government.

Mr Joseph Okware, a resident of Angisa Parish in Magoro Sub-county, Katakwi District, told Daily Monitor on Monday that while the aerial prospecting of mineral deposits is a welcome move, it comes at a time when land disputes between them and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) have not been resolved.

The aerial mineral survey is being conducted in the greenbelt areas, which run from Bulambuli through Kolir and Malera in Bukedea, Tisia island in Kumi, Angisa, Okore,Ngariam, Guyaguya and Okulunyu sub-counties in Katakwi District, Okoboi Sub-county in Kapelebyong District and parts of Napak District.

 It also covers parts of Nakapiripirit, Nabilatuk, and Kotido.

But Mr Okware on Monday said the aerial survey is being conducted in Angisa where UWA took part of their land in 2007 and gazetted it for Pian Upe game reserve.

Mr Okware said there are parts of land in Angisa where they have not been allowed to cultivate since 2018.

“We tried to bring the matter to the attention of Katakwi District leadership as early as 2013 but to date, there has been no resolution,” he explained.

“With the appearance of yellow planes flying over here prospecting for minerals, we don’t know whether we shall have rights over our land,” he added.

Lack of sensitisation

Mr James Alemu Emongot, the former chairperson of Magoro Sub-county, said there is anxiety among people because when the aerial survey started, they weren’t sensitised about it.

“We only started seeing yellow planes flying over, so people started saying that their land is being surveyed, which may not be the case. For the two terms I served, I found the land dispute of Angisa in place,” he said.

Mr Alemu added that another dispute is in the new sub-county of Okore where more than 4 square kilometres of land is being contested by one individual and UWA.

Mr Stephen Iriebat, 70, one of the affected locals in Okore Sub-county, said two months ago, they started seeing the aircraft flying close to their homes and land until the area MPs explained on radio that the planes were prospecting for oil deposits.

He added that it looked awkward to them because the land being prospected is under dispute.

Mr Jackson Ojekede, the chairperson of Kamutur Sub-county in Bukedea District, said the area leaders had to address the residents and calm them down after they started seeing the yellow aeroplanes.

“As residents of the affected sub-counties of Kangole, Kamutur and Kabarwa, we reached out to the district leaders, and a meeting with a team overseeing the aerial prospecting based in Mbale was held; a sense of calm has returned but the issue of land remains lingering,” he said.

Mr Ojekede said some residents still think some political leaders got land titles in disputed parts of Malera Sub-county ahead of the survey, with the intention of grabbing people’s land.

Mr Michael Ocan, the chairperson of Kangole Sub-county in Bukedea District, said despite a team of officials from Energy ministry coming to the area to allay the fears of land grabbing among the people, the scepticism has not gone away.

“As area leader, I pray the findings are made public as soon as the aerial prospecting is finished, and in the event of presence of minerals the people should be in position to know the next stage of those to be displaced, what remedies are in place,” he said.

But when contacted, the permanent secretary at the ministry of Energy, Mr Robert Kasande, said the aerial mineral survey is restricted to parts of Karamoja Sub-region and Lamwo District in northern Uganda.

“I am not familiar with the territory in Teso region; what is true is that the base for the survey planes is at Soroti Flying School,” he explained.

Mr Kasande added that since the take-off and landing point for the aircraft is Soroti Flying School, some of the planes may traverse through several districts of Teso.

UWA spokesperson Bashir Hangi, when contacted, said he was away on sick leave but directed this newspaper to his colleague who also said he was attending an online briefing and would be available to speak later.  We had not managed to speak to him by press time.

Mr Moses Olemukan, the Bukedea District chairperson, said officials from the Directorate of Geological Surveys and Mines in the ministry of Energy, explained to the area leaders about the mineral survey area.

“We have also conducted awareness on the matter, there is calm now,” he said.

But Mr Olemukan said government must follow compensation procedures should the minerals be found, like it did for oil exploration in Bunyoro Sub-region.

Background

 In March 2021, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development started mineral prospecting in Karamoja after handing a contract to Xcalibur, a Spanish company. The initial activity is to cover districts of Nakapiripirit, Amudat, Moroto, Napak,Abim, Kotido, Kaabong, Karenga,Nabilatuk in Karamoja, and Lamwo in Acholi. In a statement, the Energy ministry said the mineral survey findings and eventual exploitation of the mineral resources will be crucial in speeding up development in the sub-region and the country. “Karamoja has potential for economic minerals such as gold, copper, iron ore, rare earth elements, gemstones and marble.” the statement read in part.