FIRST READ:
Stealing The Land Of The Poor Ugandans For The Sake
Of Neo-Liberalism: Oxfam And Uganda Land Alliance Face Deregistration Over
Exposing Museveni’s Land Grab Schemes http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2012/05/stealing-land-of-poor-ugandans-for-sake.html
Action Case Uganda - Mubende: Evictees struggle to get access to justice and land
http://www.fian.org/cases/cases2/mubende-uganda-coffee-plantation-by-neumann
The scramble for Minerals in Uganda: Karamoja leaders accuse First Family of land-grabbing
Gold in Mubende: 270 families evicted
http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20155&Itemid=116
Wednesday, 01 August 2012 00:41
UPDF, Njuba cited in land wrangle
A gold-mining factory operating in a remote, shabby outpost of Bukuya in
Kassanda North county, Mubende district, has courted conflict with more than
270 families claiming that they were paid peanuts to quit their land. AUC
Mining is a locally registered company with Ugandan and British owners.
The company’s local partners include Moses
Masagazi and Gertrude Njuba, the director for Land matters in State House. But,
according to a source, Masagazi and Njuba are in partnership with some powerful
officials in government, who prefer to operate discreetly. Villagers
who spoke to The Observer last week claim it is Masagazi who handled the
compensation exercise on behalf of AUC.
“He [Masagazi] had a big piece of land, which he
gave out to the firm. He is the one who paid us peanuts and benefitted at our
expense,” says one Kenneth Lukyamuzi.
“We were told to leave our land about five years
ago. They said there is gold and we are going to be paid well. They sent their
teams here to do the evaluation. People were naïve and accepted little money,”
Lukyamuzi added.
Many of Lukyamuzi’s relatives were amongst the
residents that were relocated.
“In some instances, they would promise to pay
someone Shs 70m, but when they [residents] would check their bank accounts,
they would only find Shs 7m,” Lukyamuzi claims.
It is not the first time such evictions have
taken place in Mubende district. In January 2010, nearly 1,500 people in
Kitambi sub-county, Kassanda South constituency, were evicted, on the orders of
President Museveni. The President had earlier said the area was a forest
reserve, but he also indicated that Kisita Mining Company had been licensed to
prospect for gold in the area, raising suspicion about the real motive of the
evictions.
Square miles
In respect of AUC Mining, locals have petitioned
President Museveni, but much to their chagrin, Njuba was assigned to resolve
the issue.
“How can you appoint her [Njuba] and yet she is
complicit?” Lukyamuzi says.
On learning of the villagers’ complaints, The
Observer, last Thursday, embarked on a journey to Bukuya. About five miles on
the Mityana-Mubende highway, we branched right, into a murram road and drove
through Myanzi trading centre, reaching Bukuya sub-county headquarters, after
about 30 miles.
Roughly two miles after Bukuya, we reached a
place known as Kamalenge. It is here that the gold mining company is based. It
straddles a vast swathe of land across the Kagaba hills, towering above stumpy
acacia trees. Some locals call this place Mu Ndaani, a Kiswahili expression for
“deep inside” or “in there”.
The gold windfall here sharply contrasts with the
abject poverty of the weary-looking villagers, who live in mud and wattle
houses that dot the area. The only people who seem to have brick houses are the
UPDF soldiers guarding the area. Nobody dares ask about the activities taking
place inside the factory, which is barricaded by a fence and guarded by
soldiers.
“Our colleagues who work inside rarely come out,
but even when they do, they are not supposed to reveal too much,” says one boda
boda rider in a cracked voice, giving away his fear of speaking about such a
sensitive subject.
This reporter tried to gain entry but the
mean-faced soldiers at the metal bar-gate barred him. Even the area Member of
Parliament requires clearance from the department of Geological Surveys and
Mines in Entebbe
to be allowed access.
“The things that are happening inside that place
are strange,” said Kassanda North MP, Godfrey Lubega. “I had gone on a
fact-finding mission to access the place, but I was told I need permission from
authorities.” Lubega shares the frustration of his constituents.
“Incidentally, that gold place was taken over by
strangers who claim they compensated our people, and yet they gave them
peanuts. They took over the water sources, including dams and boreholes, and
people have nowhere to get water.”
Xavier Musoke, a resident of the village, told
The Observer that they now have to walk seven miles to get water. Lubega says
what is unfolding in his constituency is an ominous sign.
“I was not the area MP when this deal was inked.
But what is happening in Uganda
today is fleecing. They are threatening people and some landowners got as
little as Shs 1m for an acre,” Lubega said.
However, Masagazi, who admits that he and Njuba
are shareholders in the company, says they have acted legally and fairly.
“We paid the market value for the land. I
challenge anyone who is contesting this to bring the agreement we signed with
him or her,” Masagazi told The Observer by telephone on Saturday.
Masagazi blames the complaints on greed and sabotage.
Masagazi blames the complaints on greed and sabotage.
“Some of them are now asking for $10,000
[approximately Shs 25m]. We paid these people in the presence of the RDCs, area
MPs and all the local leaders. There is no issue at all,” he argues.
But the matter remains contentious and emotive,
with many people feeling they were cheated. Masagazi confirmed that the area is
commercially viable for gold mining, but said they have not yet started
exporting the gold.
“We are building a plant so that we can start
exporting the gold. This is when we shall begin paying out royalties to the
government, the district and the owner of the land,” he said.
According to a report by the International
Conference on the Great Lakes Region, AUC was one of nine companies that
exported a total of 196kg of gold from Uganda in 2011; the exact amount
handled by AUC was, however, not disclosed. According to the Mining Act 2003, a
firm can obtain a licence three years after applying. The owner of the land,
the sub-county and district where the gold is being mined are entitled to
royalties.
However, because the gold industry is not
streamlined, murky operators are profiteering from the shadowy trade. In an
industry shrouded in secrecy, some firms continue to operate even after their
licences have expired. Today, the gold mining
industry in Uganda
has been overshadowed by the oil exploits in the Albertine region, viewed as
the country’s new economic artery.
Speaking to The Observer last Saturday, the
chairperson of Parliament’s Natural Resources Committee, Michael Werikhe, said:
“Much as we have been focusing on oil as a committee, we are now moving to gold
and how royalties should be shared.”
Werikhe said he had no idea about the mining activities of AUC in Mubende.
Werikhe said he had no idea about the mining activities of AUC in Mubende.
“I will put this issue to the officials from the
ministry of Energy on Wednesday when they appear before our committee,” he
said.
The energy and minerals minister, Irene Muloni,
and her deputy, Peter Lokeris, did not answer their phones when contacted. The
controversy, which continues to swirl over the precious gem, comes soon after Karamoja lawmakers claimed that well-connected firms
were profiteering from gold trade in the sub-region at the expense of the
locals.
