Over the past decade, Uganda has become a gold trading hub in the region. With lax regulations and the involvement of powerful figures, the country has earned a notorious reputation as the "epicenter of gold laundering in Africa," as J.R. Mailey, an expert on corruption at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, told the New York Times recently.
Jackson Angella Nawot, an elder and vice chairperson of Moroto District Mineral Watch Platform says the speculators have stood in the way for better bargaining power for the local community in the region.
The site was operated by DAO Marble Africa Limited, a Private Owned Marble Company with exclusive quarries across East Africa. DAO started extracting marble from the site in 2013 after securing a mining lease from the Energy and Mineral Development Ministry through the Department of Geological Survey and Mine
Mining companies have however been lamenting. While meeting Amama Mbabazi, the Prime Minister, officials from Uganda International Mining Company Limited requested government to lift the ban.
Ashok Mustaphare, a director in the company made this request to Amama Mbabazi on Thursday, saying that lifting the ban would “enable them sustain their operations and also recoup their investment.â€
A report by Human Rights Watch reveals that mining in Karamoja could transform the region from the stories of malnutrition and poverty levels often heard. The report, “How Can We Survive Here? The Impact of Mining on Human Rights in Karamoja, Uganda,†points out that in the drive to attract investment in the region, government should also take note of the rights of the indigenous people.
