President Yoweri Museveni has directed the UPDF to support mineral-sector officials in tackling alleged smuggling and securing raw materials for local steel, tin and wolfram processors.
President Yoweri Museveni has directed the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to support efforts to curb mineral smuggling and ensure local processors have access to raw materials, accusing illegal miners of frustrating investors and depriving the country of revenue.
In a letter dated September 7, 2026, addressed to the Chief of Defence Forces at the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs/UPDF headquarters in Mbuya, Museveni directed that a military officer be assigned to the 2nd Division area to work with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development on the matter.
“As we discussed by phone, I want you to direct or attach somebody to the 2nd Division area to help, working with the Ministry of Minerals (Nyamutoro, Irene Batebe, etc), to end the frustration of our very useful investors,” Museveni wrote.
He identified three mineral-based industries he said were being undermined by illegal mining and smuggling: steel production using haematite iron ore, tin processing and wolfram refining.
Wolfram is a tungsten-bearing mineral used to produce tungsten, a metal valued for its high melting point and applications in industrial equipment and specialised technologies.
“There are, for instance, three industries that are being paralyzed by local parasites and, possibly, also some external ones,” Museveni wrote, referring to what he described as disruptions affecting the three industries.
On iron ore, Museveni cited deposits in southwestern Uganda, including Muko in Rubanda District and Butogota in Kanungu District, as well as magnetite deposits in eastern Uganda.
He said Uganda had investors ready to develop the steel industry and estimated that domestic production could save the country $792 million annually in imports, while saving the wider East African region $2.4 billion.
“One of the most ready is Guru of the Devki Steel Company,” he wrote.
The stated savings are estimates attributed to the President and would require independent verification before being treated as established economic projections.
Museveni also cited Woodcross Resources Ltd, which operates a tin refinery in Mbarara, as an example of an investor whose operations he said were being affected by the sale of unprocessed ore.
According to the President, a tonne of tin ore with 68 per cent purity fetches about $20,000, compared with $29,000 for a tonne of refined tin at 99.85 per cent purity.
He said the difference represented a potential loss of $9,000 per tonne when the material was sold without further processing.
“It is the same story with wolfram. A tonne of unprocessed wolfram of 65% purity, will give us USD 40,000. A tonne of wolfram concentrates of 99.9% purity, will bring in USD 145,000,” Museveni added.
The figures in the letter illustrate the President’s argument for domestic mineral processing, although the prices and purity comparisons would need to be checked against market data and the specific products being compared.
The President said investors had been attracted by government policy promoting local mineral processing but were struggling to secure sufficient raw materials because of illegal mining and smuggling.
He argued that unprocessed mineral exports and informal sales undermine government revenue, employment creation and foreign-exchange earnings.
Museveni also questioned why miners without the capacity to process minerals had been licensed, saying the government’s policy was intended to encourage value addition within Uganda.
“Now that we are lucky to have the refiners of steel, tin, wolfram, etc, they must, without any delay, get access to all the raw-materials they need,” he wrote.
He said government compensation should be considered for people with bibanja — customary landholdings — where land must be cleared for mining or industrial development. He also noted that local governments could have shares where provided for under the law.
Explaining the decision to involve the military, Museveni alleged that some illegal miners had used soldiers to protect their activities.
“The reason I am involving you is because the parasites sometimes use soldiers to protect their theft,” he wrote.
The President identified tin deposits in Kyikagate, Isingiro District, and Mwerasaande–Omwirashaniro in Ruhaama, Ntungamo District. He listed wolfram deposits in Nyamuriro, Rubanda District, and Kyeerwa, Kisoro District.
“Let us get moving,” he concluded.
The letter was copied to the Vice President, Prime Minister, Attorney General, the ministers responsible for energy and mineral development and lands, housing and urban development, as well as executives of Devki Group, Woodcross Resources Ltd and Balta Mining Africa Ltd.