"Reinforce citizens’ land rights first, satisfy commercial interests after"

One of President Yoweri Museveni’s most poignant statements during his speech at this year’s Mineral Wealth Conference was also the most troubling. “You just tell those villagers to get out. You cannot stop the State from accessing its assets...For civil society organizations with experience in the Albertine, protecting citizens’ land rights is a constant struggle particularly in the face of rapidly increasing land valuation in the oil-rich areas. Rights of customary landowners are continuously being compromised in the name of ‘national development.’ Barely one week after Museveni’s Mineral Wealth Conference speech, two bibanja land holders, Enock Dara Karim and his wife Margaret Eunice, were burnt to death in their hut in what was seen as the climax of an especially grotesque land-grabbing case in Rwamutonga Village, Bugambe sub-county Hoima district...During the ongoing mining legislation review, this issue should be given priority so that these details are stated explicitly in order to safeguard the rights of citizens. One of the objectives of the Mineral Policy 2000 is “To develop the mineral sector for it to contribute significantly to sustainable national social and economic growth.” The policy reinforces the importance of developing the mining sector for the citizens of Uganda, not in spite of them. The risks of not doing so are already evident in the oil region and must not be replicated throughout the country.