state minister for minerals, Peter Lokeris

Illegal miners in Mubende are running away from the mining areas following  government’s exercise of registering   local miners in this place in the district.

Gold artisan and small scale gold miners in Mubende who are leaving under fear following alleged presidential directive to evict them from the area are also  now going through registration to separate between illegal foreign and local miners in the area.

Minister of State for Energy and Mineral Development, Peter lokeris, together with  the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Dr. Stephen Robert Ishabiija, confirmed the registration of miners in Mubende while appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources this week .

The Committee Chaired by Isingiro South MP,  Alex Byarugaba, pinned the Ministry of Energy officials on failure to certify most of Uganda minerals to generate more revenues through giving licenses.

The UPDF representative in parliament Brigadier Innocent Felix Oula said that few of Uganda minerals are certified resulting into Uganda missing out revenue to illegal miners.

Women miners

“We started the exercise of  registration of miners in Mubende and as this is going on,some illegal miners are running away from this place, saying that influx of people in this area had become a security concern,” Loreris said, adding  that; “After this exercise genuine miners will be issued with license to operate legally and this will be taken to all the places with minerals.”

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The chairperson of the Natural Resources Committee, Alex Byarugaba.

She told the committee chaired by Isingiro South MP,Alex Byarugaba, that sand mining is mostly done at the shallow end of the water bodies and that this practice is affecting the breeding area of fish.

Nyeko added that government should gazette all areas with legal fish ponds a no go zone for sand mining since people think that when water collects in the sand ponds, it  can in turn be used for fish farming .

She also confirmed to the committee members that Aqua World Company which belongs to Prophet, Samuel Kakande, of The Synagogue Church of all Nations in Mulago has never been issued with a permit for sand mining apart from fish farming.

One of the areas where sand is mined in Lwera in Mpigi districts. MPs say such activities are destroying the environment.

However, MPs on the committee who included, Alex Byarugaba, Kumi Municipality MP, Aogon Cyrus, grilled the officials from the ministry of agriculture who included; the acting commissioner in charge of fisheries and resource development, Dr.Edward Ruukunya and Joyce Nyeko over their failure to raise an alarm against illegal sand mining in Lwera when people who were destroying Lwera wetland are hiding behind sand mining.

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