It was cheers and joy as Mubende United Miners Assembly (MUMA) celebrated the acquisition of a small-scale mining licence in Bukuya town council.
Several stakeholders in the mining industry described the feat as a new chapter for Uganda’s artisanal and small-scale mining sector.
The five-year licence, issued by the ministry of Energy in June, authorises MUMA to conduct small-scale gold mining on 100.8 hectares in Bukuya. It is the fourth of eight small-scale mining licences issued under the Mining and Minerals Act 2022.
The event drew government officials, miners’ associations, civil society organisations and local leaders, who said the licence symbolised long-awaited recognition for a group historically operating at the margins of Uganda’s mineral economy.
John Bosco Bukya, MUMA’s chairman and head of the Uganda Association of Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners (UGAASM), said the licence was monumental for miners who had spent years seeking formal recognition.
“After years of struggling to formalise, we are here to celebrate, not to complain. This licence signifies that artisanal miners have finally been recognised as legitimate players in Uganda’s mineral development,” he said.
Bukya recalled the traumatic eviction of artisanal miners from Bukuya on August 4, 2017, when security forces ordered hundreds to leave within two hours.
“We left behind everything, our equipment, our homes, our belongings,” he said.
Following the eviction, he said, the group knocked on every door from the President’s office to the Solicitor General, the Inspector General of Police, and the Prime Minister, seeking redress. Bukya cited President Museveni’s later directive that artisanal miners be allocated 30% of the contested mining area as a turning point that revived the group’s hopes and paved the way for formalisation.
Emmanuel Kibirige, MUMA’s general secretary, noted that the organisation began as a social movement and pressure group before transforming into a registered entity capable of meeting the Act’s legal and technical demands.
Agnes Alaba, commissioner of Mines at the Department of Geological Survey, who represented Energy minister Ruth Nankabirwa, congratulated the group for meeting all requirements under the law.
“This event marks a crucial milestone in our efforts to formalise Uganda’s artisanal and small-scale mining sector,” she said.
“Kasanda and the Greater Mubende region are historically central to gold production. It is therefore fitting that MUMA’s licence becomes the first small-scale mining licence in this region and the fourth in Uganda since the new law was enacted.”
She noted that more than 60% of Uganda’s mining workforce is employed in artisanal and small-scale mining, making formalisation critical for economic growth. The government has so far issued eight small-scale mining licences and one artisanal licence.
She added that formalisation would support Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy, which aims to expand the national economy from $50bn to $ 500bn by 2040. The licence also allows MUMA to participate in the Bank of Uganda’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme, which will buy only locally mined gold from licensed entities to strengthen foreign currency reserves and ensure traceability.
“With the right support, small-scale mining can be a major driver of economic transformation,” she said.
Local leaders hail a ‘historic moment’
Phoebe Namulindwa, the Kassanda RDC, said the licence was a milestone for both the district and Uganda’s broader development goals.
“Kassanda is blessed with natural wealth, and it is our collective duty to ensure that these resources benefit our people and contribute to national growth,” she said.
Dr Michael Bukenya, MP for Bukuya, congratulated MUMA for its persistence.
“This has been a long and difficult journey, but MUMA is made up of achievers who never back down. What lies ahead cannot scare us. We are only getting started,” Bukenya said.
He said mining activities were driving rapid growth in Bukuya, which he described as “the fastest-growing town council in Uganda”, but pointed out persistent challenges, including the lack of electricity and poor roads.
‘Only the beginning’: civil society urges sustained effort
Joshua Rukundo, senior project officer at Solidaridad, said MUMA’s achievement should inspire miners in other regions.
Edward Ndirangu, the Gold Programme Manager at The Impact Facility, said the licence marked “only the beginning” of a new, more demanding phase for MUMA.
“This is real community empowerment,” he said.
