Security authorities in Bushenyi District have suspended operations at Kayanga Village gold mine following a fatal collapse that claimed five lives on Tuesday.
The Deputy Resident District Commissioner of Bushenyi, William Kasigazi Donanto, said the decision was taken to avert further loss of life and ordered an environmental assessment.
“Yes, five people died in the collapse and we have suspended mining in this place much as families were earning from it. They do not have expertise to carry out mining with rudimentary tools and basic skills,” he said.
The deceased were identified as Anthony Mugarura, 23, from Butoha in Magambo; Sansio Twizukye, 30; Julius Julius, 55; Stuart Akanyamba, 16; and Saul Twinomujuni, 25.
Donanto said residents must cooperate with authorities as investigations continue.
“Residents have got to cooperate with authorities as they investigate the cause of the landslides and there will be an environmental assessment to determine the cause. The bodies of the deceased have been given to their families for burial arrangements after a police postmortem report was done at the scene,” he added.
The Bushenyi District Police Commander, Felix Mugizi, appealed for calm and warned miners against resuming activities in the affected area. He revealed that the mine had previously been closed but residents continued operating illegally.
“We found out that this mine was long ago restricted and closed but people kept around. In fact, some had constructed guards inside the mines, but some didn’t because they preferred closer deposits,” Mugizi said.
“We urge the people to cooperate with us so that our investigations are carried out and we take action in due course,” he added.
Residents say the mine has been a critical source of livelihood. Lauben Gumisiriza, a resident of Kayanga Cell, said more than 50 households depended on the site.
“Over 50 households have been benefiting from the mine but poverty is the cause of such incidents because the Chinese do not give jobs to our people and are left to collect the small deposits which they buy at a very low rate,” Gumisiriza said.
He appealed to government to provide machinery to support miners and help them operate safely, as well as extend support to bereaved families.
Robert Mugabe, a resident of Butoha in Magambo who lost his son in the incident, also called on government to support the affected families, noting that the deceased left behind young school-going children and widows.
Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining remains a vital but largely informal sector in Uganda, contributing more than 90 percent of the country’s mineral production, particularly in gold, clay and limestone.
The sector employs between 300,000 and 600,000 people directly and supports roughly 10 percent of the population, with many women involved in mineral processing.
Government has been pursuing efforts to formalise the sector, targeting up to one million miners, with the aim of improving safety standards, reducing toxic mercury use and enhancing revenue collection.