Our researchers and correspondents
UgandaMineralTrust reporting is produced by field researchers and correspondents based across Uganda's mining districts, with expertise in formalisation, DGSM licensing, community development agreements and the economics of artisanal and medium-scale mining.
- Nakato AcengSenior Researcher, Mineral Sector and Community Development
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 in the Busia district translate concession revenue into local jobs, water points and school support, and previously worked at a national policy institute in Kampala on extractives governance.
2 articles
- David MubiruLead Editor, Responsible Investment Desk
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 and tracks compliance under the Mining and Minerals Act 2022 and DGSM licensing practice.
5 articles
- Peter WafulaCorrespondent, Eastern Uganda
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.
6 articles
- Sarah NabbosaInvestigations Reporter
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.
6 articles
- UMT Editorial DeskPolicy Team
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.
2 articles
- Timothy WaiswaCritical Minerals Correspondent
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.
6 articles
- Rebecca AchiengMinerals Economy and Civil Society Correspondent
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 OkotField Reporter, Central Uganda
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.
2 articles
- Grace NabiryeCooperatives and Policy Correspondent
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.
8 articles
- Moses ByaruhangaWestern Uganda Correspondent
Moses Byaruhanga reports from Kasese, Buhweju and Hima on copper, cobalt and cement-sector minerals, and on vocational training pipelines linked to industrial employers.
9 articles
- Prossy KansiimeIndustry Correspondent
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.
4 articles
- Fred EtyangEastern Uganda Correspondent
Fred Etyang reports on Tororo, Sukulu and eastern industrial-minerals projects, with a focus on phosphate development and its agricultural spillovers.
3 articles
- Innocent OtimEnvironment Reporter
Innocent Otim covers water quality, tailings management, rehabilitation obligations and NEMA enforcement across Uganda's mining districts.
3 articles
- Doreen AdongNorthern Uganda Correspondent
Doreen Adong reports from Kitgum, Lamwo and the north on vermiculite, nickel exploration and the community negotiations that precede drilling programmes.
2 articles
- Loyce NakutKaramoja Correspondent
Loyce Nakut covers Karamoja's gold, marble and limestone economy, including the region's long-running disputes over licences issued over community land.
4 articles
- Dr. Julius KakaEnvironment and Public Health Researcher
Dr. Julius Kaka researches occupational and community health in mining areas, including mercury exposure, respiratory risk and access to clinics near active workings.
3 articles
- Charity MugishaInvestment Desk Correspondent
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.
5 articles
- Emmanuel SemakulaLabour Correspondent
Emmanuel Semakula reports on wages, contracts, safety training and union organisation across Uganda's formal and informal mining workforce.
1 article
- Martha KemigishaPolicy Correspondent
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.
4 articles
- Joan LubegaGender, Labour and Parliamentary Correspondent
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.
3 articles
- Aine KansiimeExploration Correspondent
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 NamagandaPolicy and Governance Correspondent
Ruth Namaganda covers governance reform in the mineral sector, including cadastre digitisation, licence renewals and transparency commitments.
6 articles
- Julius OchiengEastern Uganda Correspondent
Julius Ochieng reports from Busia and Namayingo on community development agreements, clinic and borehole projects, and relations between licensed operators and host parishes.
3 articles