When 15-year-old Mukasa (not his real
name), a native of Kyankwanzi district left school to seek a livelihood, he
ended up working in the gold mines. Situated
in Nkufa, Kassanda District, this gold mining, which began in the 1980s,
perpetuates several illegalities, including child labor, the use of banned
chemicals like mercury, and illegal mining practices, with unrecorded gold
output.
Gold mined in Uganda, along with that smuggled from neighboring states,
largely ends up in Middle Eastern countries, while mercury is illegally
imported into the country. In
Kassanda, gold mining has attracted not only Mukasa but also countless other
children, some as young as him or even younger. Drawn to the mines, they hope
to carve out a path to escape poverty.
"I dropped out of school. My
parents had no money," Mukasa said with a shy smile during an interview in
December last year. "I came here to work and make money. I hope to earn
enough to return home. I feel that one day, I will find
ekibimba (a large gold nugget) and start a new life."
While dreaming of a better future,
Mukasa and his peers endure grueling tasks such as digging and hauling rocky
soil from deep pits. They are also exposed to toxic chemicals and hazardous
conditions. A report by Stop Child Labour, an
international child rights organization, based on visits to three mining sites
in Kassanda, revealed that 70–80% of workers in gold washing or panning areas
were children.
Researchers observed approximately 1,000 to 1,200
children working across the three sites. Isaac Ssendi, an artisanal miner,
justified the recruitment of child laborers, explaining that mine operators
prefer hiring boys aged 12 to 17, locally referred to as
tooto (a Swahili term for a young person). "They offer cheap
labor compared to adults," he said. "Besides being affordable, they
are trustworthy and obedient—qualities essential in this business."
However, the conditions faced by
children like Mukasa are categorized as the worst forms of child labor by the
International Labour Organisation (ILO). And despite hard work, the aspirations
of these children are a pipe dream. Frank Jjuuko, an artisanal miner and
businessman in Kassanda, explained that most workers, including children, are
not paid in cash but receive a share of the soils they extract.
“Those who work in the pits, hauling
soil, work for two days and are then given a basin of soil,” Jjuuko said. “Gold
is processed from this soil. On a good day, one might find gold worth 100,000
shillings, but usually, they get only about 10,000 shillings—or nothing at
all.”
Beyond mining, children also work in and
around the mines selling food and drinks. During the reporter's visit to
Kassanda in December, two young girls, around 12 or 14 years old, were seen
serving drinks in a makeshift shop. When asked about the appropriateness of
children working in such an environment, a miner dismissed the concern, saying,
“those girls are here with their aunt. Why do you care?”
Despite the visible presence of
children, many supervisors deny their involvement. Charles Wamono, a supervisor
at one of the sites, claimed that no young children were allowed to work. “Our
rules don’t allow young children here,” he insisted. However, when pressed
about the boys seen working nearby, he changed his explanation, saying, “these
boys are local residents. They don’t do much—just simple tasks during school
holidays.”
Efforts to curb child labor in the
mines have yet to yield significant results. In 2017, international Civil
Society Organizations, including Solidaridad, partnered with companies like
Fairphone and Philips to launch the "Joint Forces to Tackle Child
Labor—From Gold Mine to Electronics" project. The initiative aimed to
combat
child labor in mining.
Joshua Rukundo, a senior project
officer at Solidaridad East and Central Africa, combating child labour in mines
in Uganda is an ongoing effort. "While progress has been made, combating child labor in Uganda's mines remains an ongoing challenge. It requires continuous collaboration, commitment, and innovative solutions to protect children and ensure their rights are upheld," said Joshua Rukundo, Senior Project Officer at Solidaridad East and Central Africa.
Mercury Exposure
Despite its ban, mercury remains
accessible to artisanal miners in Uganda. The situation in Kassanda is
particularly dire. Our reporter witnessed a girl, no older than three, panning
water-laden soils mixed with mercury as her parents stood by, smiling—unaware
of the grave danger to which they were exposing their child.
Dr. Herbert Nabaasa, Commissioner for
Environmental Health at Uganda’s Ministry of Health, who has done extensive
research on mercury, says there are severe risks associated with mercury
exposure. “Even small amounts of mercury can cause serious health problems, particularly
for children. It affects the nervous, digestive, and immune systems and can
lead to cognitive impairment, tremors, and neurological disorders,” he
explained.
"The risk is even greater for unborn children and infants, whose exposure
can result in developmental delays and cognitive dysfunction," he added.
The Mining and Minerals Act of 2022
bans the use of hazardous chemicals like mercury. However, in Kassanda, mercury
use and contamination are commonplace. Mercury-laden water used in gold
extraction is often discharged into nearby swamps, polluting the environment
and endangering community health.
Neither miners nor gold buyers wear
protective equipment when burning the mercury-gold amalgam, a process that
releases toxic mercury vapors and leaves behind small quantities of gold.
Emmanuel Kibirige, National Coordinator of the Uganda Association of Artisanal
and Small-Scale Miners (UGAASM) and a miner at Kagaba Hill in Bukuya, Kassanda,
acknowledged the widespread use of mercury.
“Miners have mastered tricks to hide
mercury from inspectors, including concealing it in their mouths,” Kibirige
revealed.
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Rose Nakawuma, Artisanal and
Small-Scale Mining Associations and Cooperatives Officer at PlanetGOLD Uganda
project, based in Kampala, says miners face a dilemma: despite the known
dangers of mercury, its affordable, effective and there are no alternatives are
unavailable.
“Miners continue using mercury because
they have little choice," she explained.
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Kibirige echoed this, stating that
alternative methods, such as leaching processes, remain prohibitively expensive
for artisanal miners who often rely solely on physical labor as their capital.
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In 2019, Uganda became the first country
in the region to ratify the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international
treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from mercury.
Following this, Uganda incorporated stringent measures into the National
Environment Act and introduced regulations to manage hazardous chemicals. These
measures effectively banned mercury.
However, mercury continues to enter
Uganda illegally. Before ratification, Uganda’s formal mercury imports averaged
approximately 123 kilograms annually over six years, according to data from the
International Trade Centre extracted from the report
From Port to Pit: Mapping the Mercury Supply Chain for ASGM in East
Africa. The mercury primarily came from Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and
India. The report also noted significant regional trade networks involving
Kenya, Tanzania, and other East African countries.
Kenya’s imports, averaging 19,070
kilograms annually during the same period, far exceeded Tanzania’s 2,821
kilograms and Uganda’s reported imports. This raised suspicions that much of
Kenya's mercury was being diverted to neighboring countries, including Uganda.
“It’s questionable whether Kenya needs such high volumes of mercury for
industrial use. A significant portion likely ends up in ASGM in Kenya, Tanzania,
and Uganda,” the report suggested.
In 2018, the National Environment
Management Authority (NEMA) estimated
annual mercury pollution in Uganda at 32,146 kilograms,
nearly half of which was attributed to gold mining activities.
Nakawuma noted that research indicates
mercury is smuggled into Uganda by gold buyers and dealers through porous
borders with Kenya, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These
buyers often supply mercury for free, on the condition that miners sell their
gold back to them, perpetuating both mercury use and the illicit gold trade.
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Peruth Atukwatse, Programme Officer for
Gender and Chemicals Management at the African Institute for Biodiversity &
Sustainability, pointed out another source of mercury: medical product imports.
She emphasized the need for a tracking system to monitor mercury imports and
ensure its use aligns with legal purposes.
"Before we even consider a ban on
mercury in the health sector, we need a system to track its importation and
usage," Atukwatse explained. "Can the government track how much
mercury is being imported and its intended use? It’s challenging but essential
for transparency and enforcement to prevent mercury from reaching illegal
mining operations."
Given the scale of artisanal mining,
Kassanda is a major mercury hotspot in Uganda. The 2019 National Baseline
Overview Study
conducted by NEMA
found that 73% of the annual gold production from artisanal and small-scale
mining is processed using mercury.
The study also revealed that Uganda’s
ASGM sector uses over 15,000 kilograms of mercury annually. The Central Region,
comprising Mubende and Kassanda districts, accounts for the largest share—7,800
kilograms (51%)—followed by the Eastern Region with over 5,000 kilograms (33%)
and the Karamoja Region with about 1,200 kilograms (8%).
David Ssebagala, a Senior Inspector of
Mines at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, explains that much of
the gold mined illegally by artisanal miners and processed using hazardous
chemicals like mercury, and is often excluded from official statistics due to
its unlicensed production and sometimes smuggled out of the country.
"The artisanal gold miners,
including those in Kassanda District and even children, typically sell their
gold to local buyers," Ssebagala notes. "These buyers then resell it
to other traders, often in the capital city. Some of the gold is also smuggled
out of the country, bypassing official export channels, while other portions
are sold to refineries before being exported to various destinations."
Ssebagala
added that, in the end, the illegal trade of gold mined by minors using hazardous
substances like mercury forms part of a complex network, driving the flow of
unaccounted-for gold and mercury.
Authorities Trying, No Results at Hand
Benjamin “Man-U” Ekodit, Chairperson
of Bukuya Town Council, which hosts numerous mining activities in Kassanda,
expressed deep frustration over the persistent challenges of mercury use and
child labor in gold mining, despite years of local efforts to address these
issues.
“For mercury use, we are aware of the risks, but all our efforts are in vain,”
Ekodit said. “Most gold processing areas are built in swamps and near water
sources. Whenever the local leadership raises complaints, there is always
interference from higher authorities.”
Ekodit highlighted the dangers of
trying to enforce laws. “Some of the miners are armed and lawless, which makes
leaders fear for their safety,” he explained. He also noted that illegal mining
sites are widespread, with many unknown to local authorities. “When you try to
intervene at one site, the miners simply relocate to another, and the cycle
continues,” he added.
These concerns are echoed by higher
officials. Amina Kiiza, the Inspector of Mines for the Central Region at the
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, acknowledged the pervasive nature
of illegal mining. During a visit to Kassanda, she discovered long-running
mining operations in areas she had never inspected before.
“Most artisanal and small-scale miners
(ASMs) are engaged in illegal activities,” Kiiza said. “Some are trying to
formalize their operations, but for many, being illegal means they act however
they wish.”
This feature was sourced with support from The Resilience
Fund And Transparency Advocacy
