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Artisanal miners accept to vacate Kassanda gold mines

Gold miners at Kassanda mines. File Photo

Kassanda, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 30,000 artisanal and small-scale miners, pit owners, mineral processors, and dealers have accepted to voluntarily vacate Kisita mines in Kassanda district.

President Yoweri Museveni issued a directive in May this year, giving a grace period of six months to miners under Kitumbi Small Scale and Artisanal Miners’ Association, to voluntarily vacate the place or be forcefully evicted. The directive followed complaints from the United Arab Emirates-based investor, Rashed Alsuwaid of Horizon Energy Ltd that the artisans were disturbing his operations in the area.

Horizon Energy Ltd, alongside other shareholders including; renowned banker Abbas Mawanda, former Member of Parliament Muyanja Mbabali, businessman Amos Nzeyi, the Maviri Family, USU Group, and Kisita Mining Company were licensed to carry out prospecting, exploration, and mining of gold in an area covering over 8.716 square kilometres.

But the leaders of Kitumbi Small Scale and Artisanal Miners’ Association protested the planned eviction noting that they are shareholders in the company and were operating in the area to protect their interests. However, Rahim Mukasa Kayondo, the chairperson of Kitumbi Small Scale and Artisanal Miners’ Association, says they have decided to vacate the mines voluntarily in order to end all the woes and limit losses that would result from a forceful eviction.

Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson notes that the development is a result of several sensitization meetings with stakeholders from the Directorate of Geological Surveys and Mines (DGSM), Uganda Revenue Authority, NEMA, Operation Wealth Creation, and the Police Mineral Protection Unit. Their declaration comes days before November 3, the presidential deadline.

“With only days left, we want to greatly thank all stakeholders but in particular, Kitumbi Artisanal Miners Association, for prevailing over their pit miners and ensuring they leave the mining site peacefully. All miners vacating the area are being issued a clearance certificate,” says Enanga. He adds that police will on November 3, fully hand over the mining site to Kisita Mining Company Ltd.

But Kayondo says that artisanal miners will require more days to ensure that their equipment is safely relocated. Although they are voluntarily vacating, artisanal and small-scale miners have noted that they have not given up on fighting for their interest in the mining company.

Kayondo says they have opened up a new front to engage the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, and shareholders of Kisita Mining Company to base on their five percent shareholding in the company to allocate them a portion where they can operate off the main mining lease.

The suggested idea of allocating mining locations was also used to settle conflicts between Gertrude Njuba’s AUC Mining Company and artisanal miners who experienced a brutal eviction in 2017.

In AUC Mining Company’s case, artisanal miners had no shareholding rights in the company but were given 30 percent of the exploration area covering 282.9sq kilometres and have resumed their work in the area.

Meanwhile, available records indicate the fragmented artisanal miners had managed to produce 52.27 kilograms, from January 2020 to June 2021, under the Kitumbi Small Scale and Artisanal Miners Association. Before they took charge of the mining activities in the area, the management of Kisita Mining Company and the different shareholders were caught up in endless conflicts and ceased joint operation of the mine.

Documents from Uganda Revenue Authority indicate that by 2015, the company that had reached production levels of four kilograms of gold per month stopped remitting royalties and evading other taxes valued at 1.6 billion Shillings.

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