Muntu wants foreign mining companies to allocate shares to Ugandans
“When minerals are discovered, locals should be the first to benefit. They should have a stake in the companies exploiting their resources,” Muntu suggested.
Addressing a campaign rally in Buyende town council, Budiope West county in Buyende district on December 14, 2025, Muntu, who is the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) flag-bearer, emphasised the need for foreign mining companies to allocate shares to Ugandans, particularly those in the localities where the minerals are extracted. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)
Muntu wants to enrol local families as company shareholders in foreign mining companies before they are allowed to access and exploit mineral resources, be it oil and gas, uranium, gold, iron ore and rare earth minerals, among others. (All Photos by Isaac Nuwagaba)
BUYENDE - Presidential candidate Maj. Gen. (rtd) Gregory Mugisha Muntu has vowed to ensure that Ugandans benefit equitably from their mineral resources.
Addressing a campaign rally in Buyende town council, Budiope West county in Buyende district on December 14, 2025, Muntu, who is the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) flag-bearer, emphasised the need for foreign mining companies to allocate shares to Ugandans, particularly those in the localities where the minerals are extracted.
“If elected president, I will ensure that locals in Busoga and other parts of the country are enrolled as shareholders in foreign companies exploiting uranium and rare earth minerals,” Muntu said. “This is the only way to ensure that Ugandans benefit from their mineral resources.”
Muntu's proposal is a departure from the current government's approach, which suggests mineral royalty shares between the regions and the Government.
Instead, Muntu wants to enrol local families as company shareholders in foreign mining companies before they are allowed to access and exploit mineral resources, be it oil and gas, uranium, gold, iron ore and rare earth minerals, among others.
“This is not a handout, it's a right,” Muntu said.
“When minerals are discovered, locals should be the first to benefit. They should have a stake in the companies exploiting their resources,” he suggested.
Muntu's concerns are rooted in the experiences of local communities in mineral-rich areas, who often face displacement and marginalisation.
“When minerals are discovered, locals are driven off their lands, and they don't benefit from the wealth,” he said. “I want to change this narrative.”
While in Karamoja region, Muntu said, "You might find when you are completely dispossessed and landless due to the mineral wealth your region has underground because those coming from the government want to see minerals not you.”
Muntu's vision is to ensure that mineral-rich communities benefit directly from their resources. He cited examples of oil and gas in Bunyoro, gold and iron ore in Karamoja, and iron ore in Kabale, saying;
“These resources should benefit the local communities, not just the government or foreign companies, and I will make sure that I shall change the trend where Ugandans have been exploited with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government failing to get a lasting solution.”
To achieve this, Muntu wants all mineral-rich communities to have shares in foreign mining companies operating in their localities.
“This is the only way to ensure that Ugandans benefit equitably from their mineral resources,” he insisted.
Locals fear Kasato Hills uranium factory will drive them away
With the construction of a nuclear power plant expected to generate over 2,000 jobs for the residents, a large number of close to 25,000 people risk displacement from their ancestral lands.
According to Jonah Kitimbo, a resident of Kyankole village, Bukungu parish in Bukungu town council, Buyende district, those who were earmarked for compensation in areas where uranium was discovered have waited until now.
“We are still waiting for compensation because we hear that the government wants to construct a nuclear plant,” he said.