Parliament has passed into law the Mining and Minerals Bill 2021.
The bill seeks to convict individuals or corporate bodies for mining minerals in Uganda without a license. The perpetrators shall as well be fined Shs1Bn or face a five years jail term.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development had proposed to have a person who contravenes this provision be held liable, on conviction and fined not exceeding one hundred thousand currency points approximately Shs2Bn because each currency point is equivalent to Shs20,000 or imprisonment not exceeding ten years or both.
However, Emmanuel Otaala, Chairperson Committee of Environment and Natural Resources while presenting the Committee’s report recommended to Parliament to reduce the punishment proposed by Government and give a lesser punishment.
Meanwhile, The Committee’s proposal has been met with some protest among MPs who urged Parliament to ensure that the fine imposed caters for artisanal miners who carry out activities on a small scale and operate on low capital.
Deputy Attorney General, Jackson Kafuuzi has however who asked MPs not to think that all artisanal miners act as individuals. According to the attorney general, some are working for big corporations.
