By Charles Katabalwa and Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
ENTEBBE
Alarmed by severe environmental degradation and human rights abuses linked to mining operations in the Karamoja sub-region, mining communities are calling on the government for immediate intervention.
Augustine Okau, Chairman of the Mawero Mining Host Community Welfare Association in Busia, says they are facing multiple challenges such as climate impacts, child labour and criminality due to large-scale mining activities.
“Some of the activities by large companies are not good for the environment,” he said, noting that child labor and a lack of protective equipment for female workers, including pregnant women exposed to mercury, are prevalent concerns.
“We also see an influx of people from different areas who come to work in the mines, they come with all sorts of behaviors, they come with diseases and we have high crime rates in the area,” Okau added.
On the other hand, Florence Lemukol, a human rights defender and treasurer of the SOGDK Miners Association, noted specific abuses against women and children such as a lack of ownership rights and low wages.
“For instance, a truckload [of mined materials] is paid between Shs100,000 and Shs110,000, which is low for the work we do,” Lemukol explained.
She also criticized the lack of transparency and information in the mining sector, with companies withholding crucial details about their operations.
As miners it’s not easy to find information, People withhold crucial information secretly and large companies rarely disclose documents or alert communities about their activities. We face numerous challenges that are difficult to discuss,” Lemukol explained.
The human rights defender and miner further expressed frustration that many companies disregard a presidential directive to buy land at 10 million shillings per acre, often offering only less than half that amount or paying in installments, which she called unfair to locals.
The miners were attending meeting organized by civil society organizations (CSOs) and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development on the Community Development Agreements (CDAs) held at the ministry’s Directorate of Geo-Ecological and Survey Management (DGSM) boardroom in Entebbe Wakiso district on Wednesday. CDAs is an initiative driven by Advocates for Natural Resources and Development (ANARDE), which aims to establish benefit-sharing between mining companies and local communities through supporting community development projects, and improve conflict resolution among others.
In response to these concerns, Naome Nangoku, Senior Mineral Dresser / Processor at the Ministry of Energy said that the government, under the Mining and Minerals Act 2022, is dedicated to addressing environmental issues. She explained that before companies receive a mining license, they must conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), which includes consultations with local communities.
“There’s a whole process of acquiring this certificate because you have to interface with the people to assess the social needs and environmental issues that might come out due to the extraction and processing of these minerals. So, the communities have to be involved,” Nangoku stated. “We believe this is an aspect that is going to be healthy with the new Mining and Minerals Act 2022.”
Miners in attendance voiced support for the CDAs and urged the government to expedite their implementation, expressing hope that these measures would sanity in the mining sector abd help protect communities from exploitation as well as improve their social welfare.
