By our reporter
The Commander Police Minerals Protection Unit, ACP Tusingirwe Julius Caesar has laid bare the loopholes and challenges his unit faces in dealing with gold fraud cases.
He is however optimistic that if the unit is supported and potential investors are availed with all the necessary information in the mineral sector, all this can be history.
The Police’ Mineral Protection Unit boss was recently speaking at a consultative meeting on responsible mineral sourcing and investor protection organized by the Head of the State House Investors Protection Unit (SHIPU), Col. Edith Nakalema at their offices along Lumumba avenue in Kampala. The meeting was attended by senior government officials and officials from the private sector.
According to Col. Nakalema, SHIPU has been receiving numerous complaints of fraud and other challenges from investors in the mining sector and such consultative meetings are one of the collective resolve and determination that can help to deal with the pertinent issues.
Speaking at the meeting, the Police’ Mineral Protection Unit boss highlighted insufficient information as one of the challenges in the mineral sector saying this can be bridged by continuous awareness and sensitization.
“We need to do a lot of awareness and sensitization such that potential investors can have all the necessary information. If we improve in that area some of the crimes and cases can be prevented. We can do much in prevention rather than postmortem,” he revealed.
According to ACP Tusingwire, due to lack of sufficient information, potential investors mistake private security guards, escorts for scammers as members of the Uganda Police.
“Some of the alleged escorts are not police officers. But because potential investors don’t have information, they mistake them. They are normally private security guards, escorts for perpetrators mistaken for police. If we can provide them enough information we believe we can prevent,” he explained.
ACP Tusingwire however assured stakeholders that the few gold fraud cases are being handled and some are already in the courts of law.
He says between January and October, the unit has handled 50 cases related to fraud, homicide and theft.
“The [gold] fraud cases are not many but the few we register are of high profile. We have done investigations and registered successes especially in convictions. As we speak over 10 suspects are battling in court,” he stressed.
Whereas the Police Minerals Unit is committed to ensure all gold fraudsters are successfully convicted, sometimes they are let down by victims who abandon their cases.
ACP Tusingwire says some of the victims, especially foreigners, stop at reporting cases to police and then fly out of the country.
“The challenge we face in these gold fraud cases is that the victims abandon the cases. Sometimes after reporting [fraud cases to police] they immediately go back to their countries. They don’t come back. We need to be assisted here. We need to encourage them to come back and follow the cases up to conclusion,” ACP Tusingwire explained.
“Those who have persisted and followed up we have been successful because the evidence is always overwhelming,” he added.
According to the Police Mineral Protection Unit boss, another issue that gives them a headache is that the gold fraud cases cross the borders— Kenya, Dubai, Uganda etc.
ACP Tusingwire is however optimistic that Col.Nakalema’s efforts to collaboratively coordinate stakeholders for a secure investment landscape in Uganda in areas such as the mining industry will address these concerns.
The Police Minerals unit was formed in 2017 to implement plans, policies and strategies for effective security of minerals in the country.
According to ACP Asingwire, the Police Minerals unit conducts inspections, surveillance and monitoring in order to detect and prevent illegal mining in the country; sensitize communities on safe mining, environmental impact and dangers of illegal mining, among others.
CP James Ruhweza, the Deputy Director of Operations Services – Uganda Police who also attended the meeting said police are supporting all the operations in the mining sector and assured stakeholders of continued cooperation to protect the sector.
Furthermore, Col. Nakalema suggested that a technical steering committee should be put in place to help in streamlining the mining sector through guidance and technical expertise.
The Director Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Mr. Moses Kaggwa revealed that the government is looking forward to growing Uganda’s economy by ten-fold of USD 500 billion in the next 10- 15 years.
He also highlighted the areas which they think will propel this growth.
“We have called them ATMS which stand for Agro-industrialisation, Tourism, Minerals and Gas and Science/ Knowledge Economy,” Mr. Kaggwa said.
The Director also urged that minerals excluding oil and gas are more important and if a country is well organised, it can make more money from the sector.
“With our assessment we have done with the National Planning Authority (NPA), the ATMS will take centre stage in steering the development of Uganda.”
Additionally, Mr. Kaggwa said that the government has already formed the Uganda Mining Company (not yet operational) to act as the country’s investment arm in the mining sector.
“A law has been passed to ensure that there’s an orderly exploitation of our resources,” he assured.
On his part, the Executive Director of the National Planning Authority, Dr. Joseph Muvawala advised that if Uganda is to achieve ten-fold economic growth, the government should do things differently.
“It means we must add value to our products, have technology and a leading plan. We should sit down together and discuss. If you want faster growth, we must also focus on minerals,” Dr. Muvawala said.
“Unfortunately, from where I sit, the minerals sector is the most neglected one. We have over prioritised petroleum. It is the most important sector but also the most challenged. The sector is going to be critical for us and every important matter discussed here we are going to lift it to the plan,” he added.
On the other hand, the Commissioner Mining – Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Ms. Agnes Alaba said Uganda has a rich mineral potential and the government must put in more efforts in the exploration to determine the reserves the country has.
She noted that as the Ministry, they are prioritising policies, regulations and laws to regulate the mining sector.
Prof. Gerald Karyeija, a Government Policy Analyst said the government should set up a mining school to train those involved in technical skills and expertise.
He also urged that the benefits of the sector should be collective whereby they benefit all Ugandans not just a selected few.
“Ugandans want their lives changed and jobs increased. No one should be left behind in terms of benefit, especially those at the bottom of the poverty line,” Prof. Karyeija said.
“Mineral wealth should be public wealth but not personal wealth whereby it benefits all Ugandan citizens. Ugandans need transparency and accountability in the sector.”
The Special Guest, Mr. Fred Sapong, the CEO Oheneba Poku Foundation-Ghana advised that Uganda should take a leaf from countries like Ghana which have strict regulations for the mining sector.
He said such regulations have helped Ghana to handsomely benefit from the sector.
“In Ghana, you cannot buy gold in cash; a trader of gold is registered by the government. Transactions are through the banks, no black markets. Everyone in the value chain is covered in the system,” he said.
Ms. Patricia Gulyetonda, Bank of Uganda Reserves and Investment Management Head, assured stakeholders that the Central Bank is very dedicated to work with them to ensure that the sector is regulated for more gains.
The CEO Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, Mr. Humfrey Asiimwe expressed gratitude to Col. Nakalema for organising the meeting.
“This is a step in the right direction,” he said.
The meeting was also attended by officials from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA), among other invited guests.
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