"Owners will lose rights over mineral-rich land - Museveni" 2 October 2014

President Museveni has said the government will change the law to allow intending investors in the mining industry to access private land that contains minerals without negotiating with the land owners. President Museveni said this during a conference on mineral wealth in Kampala yesterday. He said Cabinet would push for the amendment of the Mining Act 2001 so that investors negotiate directly with the government for access to the land where they intend to carry out mineral extraction. “The people who have to give you consent are the people who own the minerals, and that is the government. The other man [landowner] has no consent to give because the property is not his,” said President Museveni...Section 42 of the Mining Act provides that before the government issues a mining licence, the prospective mineral (s) exploration company or individual should obtain the surface rights over the land by agreeing with the landowner to granting the investor access to the land.