The new board of Kilembe Mines Limited-KML has expressed shock at the level of encroachment on the land belonging to the mines. Several encroachers have set up structures and grazing and gardens on the land belonging to KML in Katadoba, Kiteso, and Kilembe in Kasese municipality and Hima.
KML sits on an estimated 21 square kilometers or about 8100 acres of land. On Tuesday, the new Board chairperson, Sanjay Tanna, and his team completed an assessment of the assets of Kilembe Mines Limited that are primary to cooper mining and another mineral that might be associated with copper.
He, however, says that they discovered that since the suspension of the operations of the mines, the surrounding local communities have encroached on KML land, dismantled boundary marks, and erected permanent structures.
He says that a number of valuable properties like electric systems were stolen, arguing that even the existing assets need serious renovation.
Tanna appealed to the local leaders in Kasese district to interest themselves in what is happening at the mines and take appropriate action to safeguard KML land.
Loyce Biira Bwambale, one of the board members, said a number of people surrounding KML properties never thought that the industry will be revived and as such decided to illegally take over these properties. She said that as the government undertakes the process of selecting a potential investor, people illegally occupying KML land should vacate or be ready to dialogue their way out.
Biira added that from their findings, there is a huge potential for reviving the mines if the government identifies an investor. She called on the local community to be ready to tap into the opportunities that come with such a big industry.
Fred Kyakonye Welaga, the general manager of KML says that whereas they cannot estimate the actual size of the land that has been encroached on, the government recently set up a committee to make findings on the same and this report has not yet been released. He added that the presence of encroachers could break conflicts, especially in areas where an investor might want to put up structures.
Kyakonye also said that KML has lost over 300 tonnes of cobalt and copper tailing ore since the industry closed.
Uganda seeks to revamp the production of copper and cobalt at Kilembe to take advantage of the growing global demand.