What you need to know:
- Meanwhile, Kanungu District Council Speaker Frank Byaruhanga appealed to the government to consider lifting the ban on gold dealers paying royalties to the district local government.
Local leaders in Kanungu District have petitioned President Museveni over alleged restrictions by security agencies on residents accessing their crop gardens in gold-rich Kayungwe Sub-county.
In a petition signed by Kanungu LCV chairman Francis Byamukama and copied to all Members of Parliament from the district, the council said it was not opposed to responsible gold mining or legitimate investment but was concerned that mining activities could resume before outstanding issues were addressed.
These include concerns over applicable mineral rights, land access, surface rights, compensation, environmental protection, public health, occupational safety, security, lawful participation and meaningful consultation with the host community.
On July 2, 2026, State Minister for Mineral Development Phiona Nyamutoro suspended gold mining activities in Kayungwe Sub-county after observing inadequate sanitation facilities in the mining area and finding that some miners did not have licences or permits.
“I received petitions from landowners and local leaders concerning security restrictions to access their crop gardens located in the gold mining area and contamination of domestic water sources as mineral-bearing materials were being washed in water streams and water sources in the area,” Byamukama said in his petition dated September 16.
“Kanungu District Local Government respectfully petitions Your Excellency for urgent intervention in the management and proposed reopening of mining activities in Kayungwe Sub-county. The district council seeks Your Excellency’s intervention to secure immediate redress of the outstanding concerns and to grant the district council and its technical leadership an audience to present the matter directly to Your Excellency and seek guidance on a coordinated, lawful and sustainable course of action in regard to gold mining in our district,” he added.
However, Kanungu Resident District Commissioner Ambrose Amanyire Mwesigye said on October 14 that residents were not being denied access to their crop gardens in Kayungwe Sub-county, where gold mining activities had been suspended.
He said some people had allegedly used the claims as an excuse to engage in illegal mining.
“The situation is normal as people are freely accessing their crop gardens in Kayungwe Sub-county where gold mining activities were suspended. Some of the people that used to complain about being denied access to their crop gardens were illegal gold miners, which the mineral police handled,” Mwesigye said.
Kanungu District Council Speaker Frank Byaruhanga appealed to the government to consider lifting the ban on gold dealers paying royalties to the district local government, saying the revenue could help maintain district roads damaged by heavy vehicles transporting the mineral.
“If the government allows the collection of taxes from local people vending agricultural produce, why can't the district local government get taxes from gold dealers in the form of royalties?” Byaruhanga said.