News
Namayingo illegal gold mine death toll rises to five
Initial reports put the number of fatalities at three. Police said seven miners survived the accident, while detectives have launched a manhunt for three suspected owners of the illegal mining site over alleged acts of negligence that led to the tragedy.
Namayingo illegal gold mine death toll rises to five
By: Simon Masaba, Journalist @New Vision
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The death toll from the collapse of an illegal gold mine in Namayingo District has risen to five, including a 14-year-old student.
Initial reports put the number of fatalities at three. Police said seven miners survived the accident, while detectives have launched a manhunt for three suspected owners of the illegal mining site over alleged acts of negligence that led to the tragedy.
The suspects, identified only as Sam, Peter and Swengere, are accused of operating the illegal gold pits in Namayingo's Mabuka village within Bukana sub-county, where the miners were trapped after the shafts caved in.
At the Police conference on Monday, July 20, 2026, Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said the mining site had previously been shut down by the district security committee together with the force’s Mineral Protection Police Unit over safety concerns. However, the miners reportedly defied the closure order and resumed operations illegally.
Busoga East Regional Police spokesperson Michael Kasadha said the victims were buried alive when the unsupported mining pits collapsed in the early hours of July 18, 2026.
The deceased include Mohamed Suuna, 14, a student at Kifuyo Secondary School in Namayingo, as well as two miners only identified by one name each as Wejuli and Sowedi, a resident of Nsango village in Buyinja sub-county. Two other bodies are yet to be identified.
The survivors were identified as Kevin Mutangi from Busitema in Busia District; Edwin Kirya, 26, from Tiira in Busia; Alpha Kayolo, 31, from Busensi in Masaka District; Geoffrey Lubanga, 30, from Namayingo Town Council; Simon Wabwire, 21, from Mugabe village in Bukana sub-county within Namayingo; Aron Barigye, 26, from Nakijala LC I in Kitumbi Sub-county, Kasanda District; and another only identified as Geoffrey.
Busoga East Regional Police spokesperson Michael Kasadha said the victims were buried alive when the unsupported mining pits collapsed in the early hours of July 18, 2026.
The deceased include Mohamed Suuna, 14, a student at Kifuyo Secondary School in Namayingo, as well as two miners only identified by one name each as Wejuli and Sowedi, a resident of Nsango village in Buyinja sub-county. Two other bodies are yet to be identified.
The survivors were identified as Kevin Mutangi from Busitema in Busia District; Edwin Kirya, 26, from Tiira in Busia; Alpha Kayolo, 31, from Busensi in Masaka District; Geoffrey Lubanga, 30, from Namayingo Town Council; Simon Wabwire, 21, from Mugabe village in Bukana sub-county within Namayingo; Aron Barigye, 26, from Nakijala LC I in Kitumbi Sub-county, Kasanda District; and another only identified as Geoffrey.
According to preliminary police investigations, the suspects allegedly instructed the miners to descend about 120 feet down into the pits without protective equipment or proper structural support.
The miners were reportedly relying on improvised oxygen pipes while underground when the mine suddenly collapsed at around 1:00am, cutting off their air supply and trapping all 12 miners beneath the debris.
A joint rescue team comprising police detectives, officers from the Mineral Protection Police Unit and local leaders responded to the scene.
Five bodies were recovered from the collapsed shafts, while seven survivors were rescued and rushed to Buyinja Health Centre IV, Victory Medical Centre in Namayingo, and Masafu Hospital in Busia for treatment.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to the mortuaries at Buyinja Health Centre IV and Masafu Hospital pending post-mortem examinations.
The miners were reportedly relying on improvised oxygen pipes while underground when the mine suddenly collapsed at around 1:00am, cutting off their air supply and trapping all 12 miners beneath the debris.
A joint rescue team comprising police detectives, officers from the Mineral Protection Police Unit and local leaders responded to the scene.
Five bodies were recovered from the collapsed shafts, while seven survivors were rescued and rushed to Buyinja Health Centre IV, Victory Medical Centre in Namayingo, and Masafu Hospital in Busia for treatment.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to the mortuaries at Buyinja Health Centre IV and Masafu Hospital pending post-mortem examinations.