Rwenzori Rare Metals holds a 21-year large-scale mining licence covering roughly 40 square kilometres across four districts of the Busoga region. Assessments put the number of households potentially affected or displaced at about 4,867, a figure that has driven most of the local debate since the licence was issued.
What affected means in practice
Ionic clay mining is shallow and progressive rather than a single large pit, so most households face partial loss of cultivated land and phased disturbance rather than immediate removal. That distinction is poorly understood in the villages concerned and is the source of much of the anxiety.
Compensation timing
The complaint UMT heard most consistently across three sub-counties is sequencing. Valuation exercises have been conducted, but disclosure of rates and the timetable for payment has lagged. Under the Mining and Minerals Act 2022 compensation must be settled before disturbance; where that ordering slips, trust does not recover.
Crops, tenure and women
A large share of affected plots are held under customary arrangements, and women who farm land registered to male relatives are structurally disadvantaged in valuation. District land committees have raised this and it remains unaddressed in the published framework.
What would fix it
Publishing the valuation schedule and a grievance mechanism with named district officials would cost the developer very little and would remove most of the current objection. The rare earths case for the project is strong; the social process is the weak link.