ENERGY MINISTRY SUSPENDS USE OF EXCAVATORS IN POZZOLANA MINING IN KABAROLE

By Sylvia Kugonza

www.mknewslink.com

In Kabarole—-

Ministry of energy and mineral development has on Wednesday suspended the use of excavator by royal transit company in the pozzolana mining in the sub counties of Harugongo and Kichwamba with immediate effect.

According to Isa Lugayizi, a geologist from the ministry of energy and mineral development, royal transit company has been illegally operating using excavators in the pozzolana mining sites in the two sub counties.

He stated that according to the law, any person with a capital of over 10M is not entitled to use an excavator in a pozzolana mining.

According to Section 54 sub section (2) of the mining act 2003, location license means for prospecting and mining operations by the methods which do not involve substantial expenditures and use of specialized technology and for the purposes of this section, substantial expenditure in excess of five hundred currency points necessary to bring mine into production or such other amount as may be prescribed.

The cancelation of the use of excavator comes after over 500 pozzolana miners from the tow sub counties raised complaints to district leaders over royal transit company illegal operation and even failing them to involve in mining activities.

The miners claim that pozzolana mining and selling has been the main activity where they draw their livelihood and development of their area and revenue to their sub counties through tax levy on pozzolana trucks and other taxes resulting from other activities citing of shops and butcheries.

They explain that since 1994 they have been engaging in pozzolana mining and selling it to Hima cement and employing over 700 people including land owners, miners, loaders and drivers. But business took a different shape in 2014 when royal transit entered the business contract with Hima cements thus leaving majority jobless.

Meanwhile Mukonyezi Tadeo has asked the ministry to at least give him at least two weeks to sort himself.

Kezabu Caroline from Hima cement disclosed that Hima Cement is not ready to allow manual labor because its acts on conditions and it will not allow the company work gets paralyzed because of people.

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