Kigezi Miners Association faces off Against Kamuntu Investment in Struggle for Iron Ore License.

Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, has stepped in to address the escalating disputes between the Kigezi Artizanal Miners Association and Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited. The prolonged dispute revolves around a payment disagreement concerning the transportation and export of raw iron ore mineral from the Kigezi sub-region were artisanal miners accuse Kamuntu Investments for taking their minerals without pay.

Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited, owned by Moses Kamuntu Mwongyera, who is also the Rubanda County MP in Rubanda district, holds a license to purchase and export raw iron ore from Kigezi. The company is involved in the buying of tons of raw soil and stones, which are then transported from the southwestern corner of Uganda to Kenya. This license was granted to Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited in 2015, replacing Alam Group of Companies, which operates a Jinja-based iron ore smelting factory known as Steel Rolling Mills Limited.

The payment dispute between the miners and Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited first emerged in December 2021 when the miners accused the company of failing to compensate them since 2018. The conflict escalated to the point where the miners protested and blocked the company from conducting further mining operations and transporting iron ore from the deposit located in Bweeza village, Karukara ward, Hamurwa town council.

To address the situation, Engineer Joseph Okedi, the then Assistant Commissioner in charge of Inspection and Monitoring at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, and Robert Mufuta, the Kigezi Region Minerals Inspector, intervened in December 2021. However, their intervention did not resolve the issue. Instead, Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited retaliated by suing some of the members of the association for blocking the road connecting the deposit to the Kisoro-Kabale road. Furthermore, tensions escalated to the point where some miners threatened to harm Engineer Joseph Okedi unless their demands for payment were met.

In an effort to find a resolution, Ruth Nankabirwa, accompanied by Peter Aimat Lokeris, the Minister of State for Minerals, and a parliamentary committee on energy comprising members such as State Minister for Trade David Bahati and Wilfred Niwagaba, the Ndorwa East County MP, visited Hamurwa sub-county. The officials conducted inspections of the mineral deposit, observing the heaps of iron ore piled up. Subsequently, a meeting was held with the miners, district leaders, and Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited at the same location.

During the meeting, artisanal miners, led by Sikora Tukahurwa Murahusya and Regis Barisigara, accused Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited of encroaching on their lands and failing to compensate them for exploiting their deposits. They called upon the ministry to intervene and resolve the matter promptly.

Januario Kinubi and Narisensio Bujune Kabatereine, the chairperson of the association, stated that the association consists of 721 members, all of whom are demanding a total of 876 million shillings in unpaid dues from Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited for the period between 2018 and 2021. They further emphasized that Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited takes advantage of its monopoly position by purchasing each tonne of iron ore stones at a meager rate of 20,000 shillings, indicating exploitative practices. The miners urged the minister to provide them with their own license to address the issue.

In response to the accusations, Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited strongly denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the allegations as baseless. Kamuntu stated that the miners lack evidence to support their claims. He maintained that he had fully leased the land in the area and paid the rightful owners accordingly. Furthermore, Kamuntu alleged that the complainants formed an association only after the feud erupted, suggesting ulterior motives behind their actions.

In her intervention, Ruth Nankabirwa assured the miners that the necessary mining license would be issued to the association if they followed the legal procedure. Regarding Kamuntu Investment Uganda Limited's failure to pay the miners, Nankabirwa clarified that she lacks the authority to compel the company to make payments before conducting a thorough investigation to establish the truth.

In June 2023, Moses Kamuntu, alongside investors from Steam Investments Limited, made an appearance in Rubanda district. During their visit, they surveyed a 420-acre public land located in Rugarambiro village, Muko sub-county, indicating their interest in establishing a multibillion iron ore plant in the district.

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Nobert Ndyamuhakyi