Marble and limestone quarrying around Moroto has expanded with regional construction demand, on land held communally by Karamojong groups whose tenure does not fit the consent machinery built for individual titles.
Where the process breaks
Consent is typically obtained from elders or a registered communal land association executive. Members frequently learn of agreements after signature, and compensation reaching individual households is small and inconsistently distributed.
Grazing and access
Quarry boundaries cut across seasonal grazing routes. The disputes reported to district officials are more often about access than about money, and they are rarely addressed in the environmental and social impact assessments.
What has worked elsewhere
In two sub-counties, phased access agreements that keep corridors open during the dry season have reduced conflict substantially. There is no requirement for operators to adopt them and most have not.
The regulatory gap
The Mining and Minerals Act 2022 requires community development agreements but does not prescribe how consent is verified on communally held land. Until that is closed, Karamoja will keep producing the sector's most avoidable disputes.