{"id":5854,"date":"2022-06-07T12:43:56","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T12:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=5854"},"modified":"2022-06-07T12:44:14","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T12:44:14","slug":"residents-demand-govt-transparency-ahead-of-rare-earth-metals-mining-in-busoga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/residents-demand-govt-transparency-ahead-of-rare-earth-metals-mining-in-busoga\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents Demand Gov\u2019t Transparency Ahead of Rare Earth Metals Mining in Busoga"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Residents of Busoga sub region who are going to be affected by the mining and production of Rare Earth Metals \u2013 REM have asked the Government to exhibit transparency in land compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The call follows the confirmation of viable deposits of Rare Earth Elements \u2013 REE, also known as the rare earths the largest Ionic Adsorption Clay \u2013 IAC, stretching 40 kilometres across Igombe Sub County in Bugweri; Bulamogi and Nakigo in Iganga, Imanyiro and Buwaaya in Mayuge Districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Discovered in 2016, the rare earth elements estimated at 532 million tonnes in clay ore deposits are essential for the manufacture of medical equipment, smartphones, laptops, crude oil processing, batteries for electric vehicles, and wind turbines among.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Codenamed \u2018The Makuutu Rare Earths Project\u2019, the project derives its name from Makuutu Sub-County in Bugweri District in recognition of where it was discovered. The mineral deposit ranks among the largest known ionic adsorption clay outside of China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warren Tregurtha, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwenzori Rare Metals \u2013 RRM, a private company licensed by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to carry out the mineral prospecting and exploration of ore revealed that the actual mining will begin in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, tempers are flaring on the ground as landowners are crying foul following the involvement of dubious individuals brokering land sale deals in anticipation of high returns from the Government land compensations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jane Nalongo, 30, a resident of Buwaaya parish in Mayuge District told URN that\u00a0 her six other siblings are being forcefully evicted by the Sub-County Chief backed by some security operatives after their land was illegally surveyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through their area MP, Abdu Katuntu, the aggrieved residents who include cultural and religious leaders sought audience with Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development to seek clarity about their land compensation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamada Kasisa, the Local Council One Chairperson of Makuutu village in Bugweri Sub-County says the brokers, mainly Government officials, are on a rampage forcing residents to sell off their land arguing that the Government will take over their land without compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In response, Nankabirwa, on Monday visited the area to interact with the Project Affected Persons \u2013 PAPs and assured that the Government is undertaking the due legal diligence that will be followed to ensure the residents are compensated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minister disclosed that her Ministry is yet to engage Government valuers to undertake the scrutiny of the land being occupied by the affected households before they are compensated to allow for the extraction to commence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the provisions of the Mining Act 2003 and Mining Regulations 2019, Rwenzori Rare Metals is required by the government to apply and acquire a mining lease through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral development before it can compensate\/resettle affected landowners to develop the rare earths deposits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to obtain the Mining lease, the company must undertake a feasibility study, conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), obtain consent from landowners to access the project land, and develop a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) that will be used to mitigate the probable resettlement impacts to the project affected persons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The objective of the RAP is to provide resettlement options that suitably allow them to continue their livelihood and activities. The options include outright acquisition involving outright cash compensation for a mutually acceptable amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temporary resettlement that will allow land owners to lease land to the Makuutu Project for an agreed period of time, compensate the landowner for lost assets, and affected households will be provided with a good house in a newly established nearby resettlement village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third option include permanent resettlement; swap land for land, permanent replacement house and suitable replacement land, cash compensation for lost assets and provision of the necessary support to assume a better social-economic standard than before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last option is paying a retainer fee that involves a periodic sum of money that will be paid to PAPs whose land is affected but who have not yet signed the compensation agreement. This is to allow PAPs a regular income as they wait to be resettled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uganda is eyeing to take a pole position in rivalling China as the world\u2019s leading commercial producer of the rare earth elements which is projected to spur Uganda\u2019s economic transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy and uplifts people\u2019s livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, the Makuutu Rare Earths Project is expected to lead to the industrialization of Uganda and position the country on the international stage as one of the very few countries in the whole world which is currently dominated by China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is estimated the world has 99 million tonnes of rare earth reserve deposits. China\u00a0tops the list for mine production and reserves of rare earth elements, with 44 million tons in reserves and 140,000 tons of annual mine production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

URN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Residents of Busoga sub region who are going to be affected by the mining and production of Rare Earth Metals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/ruth-orign-scaled.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5936,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/energy-minister-nankabirwa-warns-men-on-mineral-compensation-money\/","url_meta":{"origin":5854,"position":0},"title":"Energy Minister Nankabirwa warns men on mineral compensation money","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"June 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"BY ZURAH NAKABUGO The Minister for Energy and Mineral development Ruth Nankabirwa has urged residents of Busoga region to fight financial illiteracy , \u00a0over drinking and marrying new wives after receiving minerals compensation\u00a0 money . \u201cIn Hoima, people got money after compensation and drunk it all. One of them bought\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Energy"","block_context":{"text":"Energy","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/energy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/na.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/na.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/na.jpg 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11549,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/sunbird-resources-ltd-gets-21-year-license-to-mine-limestone-in-moroto\/","url_meta":{"origin":5854,"position":1},"title":"Sunbird Resources LTD Gets 21-Year License To Mine Limestone In Moroto","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"February 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Zulfah Namatovu The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has granted a large-scale mining license to Sunbird Resources Limited to mine lime on an 11 square kilometer area in Moroto District with a 21-year validity period. The company will mine 8,000 tonnes of limestone daily at Moroto\u2019s Rupa Sub-County\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Uganda's Minerals"","block_context":{"text":"Uganda's Minerals","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/ugandas-minerals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ceme.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ceme.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ceme.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ceme.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ceme.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15125,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/president-museveni-to-launch-wagagai-gold-mine-and-refinery-in-busia-on-saturday\/","url_meta":{"origin":5854,"position":2},"title":"President Museveni To Launch Wagagai Gold Mine and Refinery In Busia On Saturday","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"August 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Zulfah Namatovu The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has announced the launch of the Wagagai Gold Mine and Refinery in Busia District, a $150 million investment by Wagagai Mining (U) Limited. This state-of-the-art facility will refine gold to 99.99% purity and produce up to 1.5 tons annually, positioning\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3c0e1d5fc5d74a348fc5bf040313357b.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3c0e1d5fc5d74a348fc5bf040313357b.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3c0e1d5fc5d74a348fc5bf040313357b.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3c0e1d5fc5d74a348fc5bf040313357b.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12198,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/president-museveni-and-dr-luisa-moreno-discuss-ugandas-mineral-sector\/","url_meta":{"origin":5854,"position":3},"title":"President Museveni and Dr. Luisa Moreno discuss Uganda\u2019s mineral sector","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"June 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today met and held discussions with Dr. Luisa Moreno, an expert in finance, business development and technical research, with a focus on Technology, Mining and Metals industries.\u00a0 Dr. Moreno, an esteemed Physics Engineer with a PhD in Materials Science and Mechanics from the Imperial College\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Energy Sector"","block_context":{"text":"Energy Sector","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/energy-sector\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot_20240615_220219_Gmail.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot_20240615_220219_Gmail.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot_20240615_220219_Gmail.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot_20240615_220219_Gmail.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot_20240615_220219_Gmail.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8227,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/lands-minister-nabakooba-gives-butalejja-residents-land-titles-re-echoes-president-musevenis-advice-on-land-fragmentation\/","url_meta":{"origin":5854,"position":4},"title":"Lands Minister Nabakooba gives Butalejja residents land titles , re-echoes President Museveni’s advice on land fragmentation","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"February 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By Our Reporters The Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, has handed over \u00a01,000 land titles to jubilant residents of Butalejja and re-echoed President Museveni\u2019s message warning against land fragmentation which stifles production and \u00a0economic growth.\u00a0 The customary \u00a0land ownership titles were handed over at a ceremony\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG-20230210-WA0001.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG-20230210-WA0001.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG-20230210-WA0001.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG-20230210-WA0001.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG-20230210-WA0001.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6896,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/how-is-uganda-positioned-for-green-energy\/","url_meta":{"origin":5854,"position":5},"title":"HOW IS UGANDA POSITIONED FOR GREEN ENERGY?","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"October 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u2022The Minerals Development Programme: - \u2022To increase mineral exploitation and value addition in selected resources for quality and gainful jobs in industrialization; 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