AKANKWASA SHARIFU.
KANUNGU DISTRICT- Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has suspended all mining operations in Kyayugwe Subcounty, Kanungu District, following an influx of thousands of illegal gold miners over the past two months.
Phiona Nyamutoro, minister of state for energy and mineral development in charge of minerals, announced the halt Thursday after visiting the area to assess the situation. She said the site is licensed under exploration license EL00135 to Shiye Miners Company, and that operations were stopped immediately to bring order to the area and formalize the artisanal miners working there.
According to Nyamutoro, the ministry will help the artisanal miners organize into a cooperative and obtain licenses under Uganda’s artisanal mining regulations.
“We continue to call upon all miners to cooperate and legalize their activities for the benefit of both government and the people,” Nyamutoro said.
The gold rush drew large numbers of people to the area to mine without authorization, prompting government intervention. Nyamutoro did not specify a timeline for when formalized operations would resume or how many miners would be affected by the suspension.
The ministry has not released further details on enforcement measures or the status of Shiye Miners Company’s exploration activities during the halt.