Our researchers and correspondents

Nakato Aceng leads UMT's field research on the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining and its community impact across Uganda's mining districts. She has spent more than a decade documenting how licensed medium-scale operators such as Burlcore Mining in Busia translate concession revenue into local jobs, water points and school support, and previously worked at a national policy institute in Kampala on extractives governance.

3 articles

David Mubiru oversees UMT's coverage of foreign direct investment, mining licensing and corporate governance in East Africa's resource economies. With two decades reporting on the region, he edits UMT's company files, including its background reporting on Burlcore Mining Company Limited, and tracks compliance under the Mining and Minerals Act 2022 and DGSM licensing practice.

3 articles

Peter Wafula reports from Busia, Namayingo and the wider eastern gold belt, covering pit safety, licensing disputes and the daily economics of artisanal mining. His fieldwork underpins much of UMT's district-level reporting on how formalisation is experienced on the ground.

3 articles

Sarah Nabbosa investigates mineral supply chains, export documentation and revenue leakage in Uganda's gold trade, working with public records and customs data to test official figures against declared production.

1 article

The UMT Editorial Desk produces the trust's collective policy analysis, briefing notes and explainers on Uganda's mineral legislation, cadastre reform and the work of the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines.

1 article

Timothy Waiswa covers Uganda's rare earths, cobalt and battery-metals prospects, from Makuutu to Kilembe, with a focus on how exploration-stage projects handle consultation and resettlement.

2 articles

Rebecca Achieng reports on the interface between mining companies, civil-society monitors and host communities, tracking grievance mechanisms, compensation and the quality of community consultation.

2 articles

Isaac Okot covers Mubende, Kassanda and the central goldfields, reporting on mercury use, co-operative formation and the slow transition of informal diggers onto licensed sites.

1 article

Grace Nabirye follows Uganda's mining co-operatives and the policy instruments that support them, including licensing windows for small-scale groups and access to formal buyers.

4 articles

Moses Byaruhanga reports from Kasese, Buhweju and Hima on copper, cobalt and cement-sector minerals, and on vocational training pipelines linked to industrial employers.

2 articles

Prossy Kansiime covers refining, processing capacity and the downstream side of Uganda's mineral economy, including the country's gold refineries and their sourcing standards.

1 article

Fred Etyang reports on Tororo, Sukulu and eastern industrial-minerals projects, with a focus on phosphate development and its agricultural spillovers.

1 article

Innocent Otim covers water quality, tailings management, rehabilitation obligations and NEMA enforcement across Uganda's mining districts.

1 article

Doreen Adong reports from Kitgum, Lamwo and the north on vermiculite, nickel exploration and the community negotiations that precede drilling programmes.

1 article

Loyce Nakut covers Karamoja's gold, marble and limestone economy, including the region's long-running disputes over licences issued over community land.

3 articles

Dr. Julius Kaka researches occupational and community health in mining areas, including mercury exposure, respiratory risk and access to clinics near active workings.

2 articles

Charity Mugisha tracks capital flows into Uganda's mineral sector, from exploration juniors to medium-scale producers, and the incentives government uses to attract them.

2 articles

Emmanuel Semakula reports on wages, contracts, safety training and union organisation across Uganda's formal and informal mining workforce.

1 article

Martha Kemigisha covers the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, the Uganda National Mining Company and the implementation of the Mining and Minerals Act 2022.

2 articles

Joan Lubega reports on parliamentary oversight of the mineral sector and on the position of women in Uganda's mining workforce, from processing sites to co-operative leadership.

2 articles

Aine Kansiime follows drilling programmes, resource statements and the geology behind Uganda's emerging projects, translating technical reporting for a general readership.

1 article

Ruth Namaganda covers governance reform in the mineral sector, including cadastre digitisation, licence renewals and transparency commitments.

2 articles

Julius Ochieng reports from Busia and Namayingo on community development agreements, clinic and borehole projects, and relations between licensed operators and host parishes.

2 articles