Two children killed in another gold mine in Moroto, mother injured
According to police, the tragedy occurred on Saturday, July 18, at about 2:00pm in Lokapirio village, Katikekile sub-county, where the family had reportedly entered a gold mining pit when rocks suddenly gave way.
Two children killed in another gold mine in Moroto, mother injured
_________________
In yet another gold mine accident, three people - two children have been reported dead, and their mother seriously injured after a gold mining pit collapsed in Moroto District.
According to police, the tragedy occurred on Saturday, July 18, at about 2:00pm in Lokapirio village, Katikekile sub-county, where the family had reportedly entered a gold mining pit when rocks suddenly gave way.
Mt Moroto Regional Police spokesperson Mike Longole identified the deceased as Calvin Amuria, 3, and Joan Nakiru, aged one-and-a-half years. Their mother, Keem Keregai, 23, survived the collapse but sustained injuries.
"The victims were trapped when stones fell on them inside the mining pit. The two children died instantly, while their mother was rescued and rushed to Moroto Regional Referral Hospital, where she is currently receiving treatment," Longole said.
Police have opened investigations into the incident as a case of rush and neglect.
A team led by the Officer in Charge of Moroto Central Police Station, Alfred Olila, visited and documented the scene.
Longole warned members of the public against engaging in mining activities in unsafe pits, saying such sites pose a serious risk to life, particularly for children.
Namayingo gold mine tragedy
The development comes against the backdrop of another gold mine tragedy in Namayingo district where the death toll from the collapse of an illegal gold mine 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.
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.