Security takes over Kisiita gold mining site

A combined force of UPDF soldiers and police has taken over Kisiita Gold Mining Site in Kassanda District after artisanal miners vacated the area.

Kisiita mining site, located in Mbirizi Sub-County in Kassanda District was reportedly licensed to Kisiita Mining Company Ltd, but 30,000 artisanal miners had in the last four years refused to vacate the area claiming that they have a legal interest in the site.

This forced the government to issue an ultimatum of November 3 to the illegal miners to vacate the site.

According to the Kassanda Resident District Commissioner, Ms Phoebe Namulindwa, heavy security deployment will remain in the area until the government officially hands over the mining site to the licensed company to operate the mines.

“We have deployed security as we wait for officials from Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to come and we hand over the site to them because they are the ones who know the right company to run the mines,” she said during an interview on Wednesday

The RDC advised the line ministry to swiftly hand over the site to the licensed company to stop artisanal miners from sneaking into it again.

However, Ms Patricia K Litho, the head of communication and information management at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, said: "Kisiita Mining Company Ltd can go and take over the mines anytime they feel they are ready. The company had managerial issues, but if they have resolved them, they can resume normal operations. For us, we have done our obligation as the President directed."

President Museveni in May gave the miners six months to voluntarily vacate the place or be forcefully evicted.

Mr Museveni’s directive followed complaints from the United Arab Emirates-based investor, Rashid al-Suwaidi of Horizon Energy Ltd that the artisan miners were interfering with his operations in the area.

Horizon Energy Ltd has shareholding rights in Kisiita Mining Company Ltd.

City Businessman Mr Amos Nzeyi, who was one of the shareholders in Kisiita Mining Company on Wednesday evening, said some of their business partners pulled out after being humiliated by some government officials.

He revealed to Daily Monitor that he is no longer the chairperson of Kisiita Mining Company Ltd after developing misunderstandings with some shareholders.

"It is the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to call the investors to come back to Uganda and should assure them that they won't be humiliated and arrested as was the case before," Mr Nzeyi said in a telephone interview.

In June 2020, the Energy and Mineral Developments Ministry suspended the license of Kisiita Mining Company Ltd citing illegal practices and accumulated tax arrears amounting to Shs1.256 billion.

Later, a rift emerged between shareholders of Kisiita Mining Company over management and mining operations in the gold-rich Kassanda District.

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