Prolonged Rains Disrupt Salt Business in Katwe

Salt miners in Katwe Town Council in Kasese District are counting losses after Katwe Salt Lake flooded, destroying several salt pans following heavy rains in the area. The crater lake, located inside Queen Elizabeth National Park, is Uganda’s main source of salt. It produces blocks of rock salt, high-quality salt crystals used as table salt, and salty mud commonly used as salt licks for cattle.

Local leaders say the flooding was triggered by heavy downpours that caused water levels in the lake to rise and submerge the salt pans used for traditional salt extraction. The LCIII chairperson of Katwe Kabatoro Town Council, Kananura John Bosco, said water volumes have remained unusually high for nearly four years, a situation that has severely affected families that depend on salt mining and trade for their livelihoods.He explained that he has already engaged the Office of the Prime Minister to intervene and explore ways of reducing or managing the water levels so that mining activities can resume, but no solution has yet been implemented.

Kananura added that he has also lobbied the government to consider establishing an inland port on Lake Edward within Katwe Kabatoro Town Council. According to him, such a facility would boost trade and fishing activities while improving access to the remote but economically strategic area, which is also rich in tourism potential.

Peter Twinamasiko, a salt miner, said the water level has increased from between three and five feet to over seven feet, making the work much more difficult. Salt mining at the lake requires miners to stand in water for several hours while extracting the salt. He also decried the poor state of the road leading to the lake, noting that the condition has worsened due to the rains, affecting the timely trade and transportation of the salt.

Another miner, Robert Honney, said the heavy rains have also destroyed salt pans, damaged already packed salt, and increased the costs of pumping out excess water from the lake. Due to the worsening situation, some miners have abandoned salt extraction and turned to other small-scale activities to support their families.

Despite the lake being located within Queen Elizabeth National Park and recognised as a unique cultural and tourism site famous for centuries-old traditional salt mining, residents around Katwe say they continue to face land conflicts with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. They accuse the authority of failing to clearly demarcate the boundaries of the national park, a situation they say has resulted in repeated threats of eviction for communities living near the lake.