Julius Cedrick Ogwang, the KAKOKA Gold Miner’s Association Executive Director says during their meeting held at state house Nakasero, attended by officials from the state house and the energy ministry, they were directed to organize all artisanal miners in one association within one week.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Development has urged the artisanal gold miners in Okemer, Abim district to
form one association before resuming mining activities.
The
site has remained inaccessible to the public, after the government closed it
and brought forth a string of demands to prospective miners, directing them to among
others, formalize their readmission to the site by securing a mining license,
putting in place sanitary facilities, proper leadership structures and ensuring
that all the vulnerable groups including children, are not allowed into the
site.
Last week, a delegation consisting of Alerek
sub-county and town council leadership, KOKOKA miner’s association leaders, as
well as the top district leadership was fronted by community members to meet
with President Museveni, to ascertain the fate of the mine.
However, they could not meet the President
instead they had an engagement with the officials from the Ministry of Energy
and Mineral Development that guided them to the procedures.
Julius
Cedrick Ogwang, the KAKOKA Gold Miner’s Association Executive Director says
during their meeting held at State House Nakasero, attended by officials from
the state house and the energy ministry, they were directed to organize all artisanal
miners in one association within one week.
Ogwang
said that they had agreed to meet the demands within one week and write back to
the ministry giving the resolutions of the meeting and the challenges they need
to go back for a meeting with the President.
He observed that President Museveni was willing
to allow people to go back to the mines upon fulfilling the requirements and
following the right procedures.
//Cue
in: ‘’the meeting agreed...
Cue
out: "...the association’’.//
Ogwang
said that they were also instructed to mobilize members for the biometric
registration exercise to be carried out by the energy ministry.
He added that the
energy ministry vowed to fasten the process of securing the small-scale mining license
that he believes will eventually allow miners to legally carry out their
activities at the site.
Ogwang
called upon the neighbouring districts of Kotido, Moroto, Agago Kaabong, Napak,
and Karenga to send abled members above the age of eighteen years to register so
that they could get back to the mining.
He
said that the registration is open to every Ugandan who is willing to fulfil
all the requirements needed for qualification.
Ogwang
further explained that all those interested in being part of the miners'
association should be 18 years and above, possess a national ID, as well be
able to pay a sum of 160,000 shillings to the association, adding that non-registered
members will not be allowed at the site.