The Vice President Rtd. Maj. Jesca Alupo said the money will be used for fixing broken bridges, rehabilitate and restore the power supply before government succeeds in identifying an investor.
Government has released 4.2 billion shillings this financial year for revamping the dormant Kilembe
Mines Limited-KML.
The
Vice President Rtd.
Maj. Jesca Alupo said the money will be used for fixing broken
bridges, rehabilitate and restore the power supply before
government succeeds in identifying an investor.
She
added that the UPDF
engineering brigade have started reconstructing bridges
that were destroyed by floods in 2020 to ease accessibility to the mines.
Alupo was
addressing a political
rally in Karusandara sub-county to solicit votes for the NRM candidate for the Busongora
South constituency by-election Gideon Mujungu.
//Cue
in: The UPDF engineering…//
/Cue
out: ...which we saw there.”//
Alupo
said a number of potential investors have filed their interest and
both the ministry of finance and energy are in advance stages to identify the successful
one.
The investor will be awarded exploration license and will be required to carry out new explorations to see if more reserves of copper can be mined.
She
added that the government had also paid off part of salary arrears for the staff maintaining
the mines and was in the process of reaching an agreement with the family of Sir George David Kamurasi Rukiidi III who is a minority shareholder before the investor is introduced.
//Cue
in: “Advertising Kilembe…//
Cue
out: ..in Kilembe mines.”//
Meanwhile,
the prime minister Robina Nabanja said that government has the resources to
expand the electric fencing project around all communities neighbouring Queen
Elizabeth national park to eliminate human-wildlife conflict.
//“Runyoro
byte
//Cue
in: Kinu ekyobisoro… //
Cue
out: ..eki nikinja kuba kirungi.”//
Leaders in the sub county of Karusandara asked government to improve on the road network in the area and water coverage.
Copper extraction ceased in 1982 due to the
degenerated smelter in Jinja, the global collapse of mineral commodity prices,
dilapidated equipment, high inflation, and the insecurity at the time.
KML has been dormant for 30 years, however,
the government has made several attempts at reviving it.
The mines comprise a greenfield exploration area, a
brownfield project comprising of a hard rock copper mine and processing plant,
a hydro power plant known as Mubuku I, auxiliary mine facilities, cobalt-rich
tailings, and associated minerals ‘(collectively referred to as “Kilembe
Mines”) operated by KML.
In 2020, three devastating floods destroyed
infrastructure at the mines including a tailings dam, Mobuku I hydropower
plant, the industrial and domestic water system, the administration block, and
workshops.
