By Kamusime Barnabas
Residents of Busengo in Nyarubuye Sub County say they are not happy with the government for denying them access to Kirwa mines which used to earn them a living.
While meeting police officers from the Mineral protection Unit headquarters for Kigezi region on 24 July 2020, residents at Rukundo said Kirwa mines has become a security threat to the community because of the growing bushes that harbor snakes and other wild life.
“We thought that the mine is going to be productive after giving them(police) the pass way to the mine but now it is useless to us,if one cannot get 1000shillings from it what is its importance to us” residents said.
One of the former local leaders who preferred anonymity said residents accepted to freely give police a house where to stay as they guard the Mine with a thought that it will benefit residents but it has not worked yet.
The Kigezi region Mineral police protection Unit commander, AIP Basiima Lauben appealed to locals to be patient as government waits for an investor to take up the mining role in Kirwa.
AIP Basiima and the team also visited Mutolere mines to see its status because Kabale diocese will be taking it over when its license is completed.
Basiima hinted on the government’s initiative to start taxing sand and stone quarrying in the near future to raise more government revenue.
“in future days sand mining will be put under mineral police so that people involved are licensed to increase government revenue”.Basima said.
Basiima told voice of Muhabura that Kigezi has got a lot of Minerals that can fetch revenue to the country including wolfram, Tin, Iron ore, sand, Gold among others but the mines lack investors.
Afande Basiima also noted that mineral police protection unit is yet to get man power that will make enforcements easy in Uganda.
He also said that Kisoro had investors in Kirwa Mines and their licenses later expired while mining was halted in Mutolere mines because it was being illegally done.
Meanwhile, he says that Police protection units will be deployed at all points of boarder entries in Kisoro to eliminate smuggling of minerals to foreign countries.
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