NICHOLAS A
Residents of Ruhaama Sub County and small-scale tin miners in Rwamwiri Hill have raised concerns over the closure and suspension of all mining activities in this hill, noting that this is leading to unemployment, high levels of poverty, and theft.
Residents say that tin mining in Rwamwiri has been a base for employment opportunities for people from Ruhaama and other areas like Kitwe, Ntungamo, Kishami, Mirama, among others.
They say the suspension of all mining activities in this hill, which was made in early September 2025, has left hundreds of people unemployed, and many businesses weakened—especially in trading centers of Wechango, Ruhaama, Rwengoma, Omukoona, among others—since the mineral (tin) had been attracting many people to the area, increasing demand for their goods.
Byaruhanga Gipori, a chapatti vendor working at Wechango Trading Center, told our reporter that before the closure, he used to consume 12 cartons of wheat flour due to the high demand for chapattis, but nowadays he uses only 2 cartons and still grapples to sell them due to the low customer base.
He said that the situation has also led to insecurity, as many people—especially the youths—who had been earning from mining have been forced by the closure to resort to stealing.
He said the government should come up and resolve this matter since it has been a source of income for many Ugandans.
Barekye Leonidas, an Atzano miner, said that currently they are struggling to get what to eat and other needs, owing to the fact that they had been earning from the tin mining business.
He said that theft in their area is now a problem as many youths are unemployed and need to satisfy their daily needs.
Kinyata Ipolito, the LC3 chairperson for Ruhaama Sub County, said that tin mining has not only been stopped at Mwerasandu on Rwamwiri Hill but also in Rwengoma and many other places in Western Uganda.
He said that this hill had only Atzano small-scale miners, who made a memorandum of understanding with Zanac Holdings Company and continued working with them.
Zanac Company later sold the business to H5 Company, but the management of Zanac did not engage H5 Company to renew the agreement, leading H5 Company to stop Atzano small-scale miners from operating.
According to Kinyata, mining in Rwengoma has been under the license of Wood Cross Company, and Wood Cross is in court with Euromine Company over the same mining center, hence the temporary suspension of all tin mining activities in Rwengoma.
Kinyata said that no Atzano miner has had a valid license to operate in this mining business.
He, however, said that as authorities, they are doing whatever it takes to engage H5 Company authorities so that Atzano miners can be allowed to work from Rwamwiri Hill, urging miners to stay calm and patient.
