Rakai finds hope in kaolin
Sep 27, 2006
RAKAI district is set to become rich after kaolin, an important and rare mineral, was discovered in the embattled district. <br>Rakai is known for HIV and AIDS. The first cases of the disease in Uganda were registered there. Rakai also suffered the brunt of the 1978 war that deposed Idi Amin.
By Joshua Kato
RAKAI district is set to become rich after kaolin, an important and rare mineral, was discovered in the embattled district.
Rakai is known for HIV and AIDS. The first cases of the disease in Uganda were registered there. Rakai also suffered the brunt of the 1978 war that deposed Idi Amin.
Located about 190kms from Kampala and bordering Tanzania to the south, Rakai is a multi-tribal district. There are many Tanzanians and Banyankole, although the Baganda are dominant. Through the last 20 years, impoverished villagers have been battling with the effects of the war and AIDS. Thus the discovery of kaolin in Kooki county is a blessing. Kooki is located in the west of Rakai. It is accessible through the newly-created Lyantonde district off Masaka-Mbarara Road, or through Kyotera, a few miles from the district headquarters.
Kaolin is a white soil-like substance, sometimes referred to as China clay. The Bakooki call it binoni, while to the Banyankole, it is bisooni. According to research, the mineral exists in the eight sub-counties of Kooki including Dwaniro, Lwanda and Lwamaggwa.
“This is a dream come true for my people,†says the area Member of Parliament, Mugumya Magulumaali. “My people are going to get jobs,†he adds. Magulumaali says the highest deposits have been discovered in Dwaniro sub-county. He is striving to see that the treasure is utilised so that Rakai benefits.
“More than 10,000 people will benefit from the projects,†Magulumaali says. Some people will be employed as casual or unskilled labourers, while others as experts.
Because of the many uses of kaolin, at least 20 factories will be set up in Rakai. “Those who will not be working in the factories will benefit indirectly,†Mugumya says.
The district chairman, Vicent Ssemakula, says, “When the mining of kaolin starts, our district will be uplifted and put it in a spotlight.â€
Many people in Rakai are surviving on subsistence agriculture. The roadsides are dotted with small-scale banana, potato and maize plantations.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the area was one of the leading producers of bananas. However, at around the time AIDS struck, a disease attacked the banana plantations and destroyed them, almost at the same rate AIDS was killing residents. At that time, nothing was known about AIDS apart from the fact that it made patients slim. Residents christened it siliimu.
Twenty years ago, AIDS killed many adults in Rakai, leaving their children to scavenge through childhood. Today, they have big dreams including getting high-paying jobs at the kaolin mines.
On a road that winds through hills and valleys, whitish rocks lie on the edges of many hills. This is no ordinary white soil or sand. Underneath it lies kaolin.
“I grew up seeing those hills. People used to say kaolin can be used to make plates and mugs,†says Samuel Ssentumbwe, 28, a resident.
Infrastructure including roads will be improved when mining starts. For example, the Lwammagwa-Kabale Road needs to be renovated because it passes through kaolin areas.
“We need schools, health centres and to live better lives.
This is the time to get them,†says Charles Mugerwa of Lwammangwa. At Kammengo Technical Institute, the highest educational institution in the district, plans are underway to introduce a ceramics course.
Government sets in
It is estimated that every year, at least sh30b is spent on imported goods made from kaolin.
Worldwide, at least 69 countries produce the mineral at industrial level. In Africa, countries including Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Algeria produce it. World wide, Brazil and China rank among the highest producers, although there are deposits in western and Eastern Europe and USA.
Kaolin is a multi-purpose industrial mineral. It is used to make paint, tiles, bath tabs, sinks, insecticides, and herbicides, paper, soap and chalk. Kaolin is is mixed with other substances including clay.
Kaolin is also used in making adhesives and sealants, cement and glass fibre. Kaolin is classified in grades; the first grade fetches the highest amount of money. World market price range between $2 to $5 per kilogramme.
Having been listed as one of the minerals for exploration, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has dispatched a team of four geologists to study and evaluate the grade and quantity of the kaolin in Kooki.
The team headed by a senior exploration geologist, Vincent Kato, arrived in Rakai earlier this month.
Kato says the research is a World Bank-funded programme under the Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources. Kato says the research will take one month, then a report will be released to private investors.
“Government has no interest investing in the mineral, but will open the programme to investors,†he adds.
Private investors including entrepreneur Gordon Wavamunno have shown interest. According to Rakai LC5 Chairman Vicent Ssemakula, Rakai District Council allocated Wavamunno land for a Kaolin industry. He was born in Kooki.
RAKAI district is set to become rich after kaolin, an important and rare mineral, was discovered in the embattled district.
Rakai is known for HIV and AIDS. The first cases of the disease in Uganda were registered there. Rakai also suffered the brunt of the 1978 war that deposed Idi Amin.
Located about 190kms from Kampala and bordering Tanzania to the south, Rakai is a multi-tribal district. There are many Tanzanians and Banyankole, although the Baganda are dominant. Through the last 20 years, impoverished villagers have been battling with the effects of the war and AIDS. Thus the discovery of kaolin in Kooki county is a blessing. Kooki is located in the west of Rakai. It is accessible through the newly-created Lyantonde district off Masaka-Mbarara Road, or through Kyotera, a few miles from the district headquarters.
Kaolin is a white soil-like substance, sometimes referred to as China clay. The Bakooki call it binoni, while to the Banyankole, it is bisooni. According to research, the mineral exists in the eight sub-counties of Kooki including Dwaniro, Lwanda and Lwamaggwa.
“This is a dream come true for my people,†says the area Member of Parliament, Mugumya Magulumaali. “My people are going to get jobs,†he adds. Magulumaali says the highest deposits have been discovered in Dwaniro sub-county. He is striving to see that the treasure is utilised so that Rakai benefits.
“More than 10,000 people will benefit from the projects,†Magulumaali says. Some people will be employed as casual or unskilled labourers, while others as experts.
Because of the many uses of kaolin, at least 20 factories will be set up in Rakai. “Those who will not be working in the factories will benefit indirectly,†Mugumya says.
The district chairman, Vicent Ssemakula, says, “When the mining of kaolin starts, our district will be uplifted and put it in a spotlight.â€
Many people in Rakai are surviving on subsistence agriculture. The roadsides are dotted with small-scale banana, potato and maize plantations.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the area was one of the leading producers of bananas. However, at around the time AIDS struck, a disease attacked the banana plantations and destroyed them, almost at the same rate AIDS was killing residents. At that time, nothing was known about AIDS apart from the fact that it made patients slim. Residents christened it siliimu.
Twenty years ago, AIDS killed many adults in Rakai, leaving their children to scavenge through childhood. Today, they have big dreams including getting high-paying jobs at the kaolin mines.
On a road that winds through hills and valleys, whitish rocks lie on the edges of many hills. This is no ordinary white soil or sand. Underneath it lies kaolin.
“I grew up seeing those hills. People used to say kaolin can be used to make plates and mugs,†says Samuel Ssentumbwe, 28, a resident.
Infrastructure including roads will be improved when mining starts. For example, the Lwammagwa-Kabale Road needs to be renovated because it passes through kaolin areas.
“We need schools, health centres and to live better lives.
This is the time to get them,†says Charles Mugerwa of Lwammangwa. At Kammengo Technical Institute, the highest educational institution in the district, plans are underway to introduce a ceramics course.
Government sets in
It is estimated that every year, at least sh30b is spent on imported goods made from kaolin.
Worldwide, at least 69 countries produce the mineral at industrial level. In Africa, countries including Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Algeria produce it. World wide, Brazil and China rank among the highest producers, although there are deposits in western and Eastern Europe and USA.
Kaolin is a multi-purpose industrial mineral. It is used to make paint, tiles, bath tabs, sinks, insecticides, and herbicides, paper, soap and chalk. Kaolin is is mixed with other substances including clay.
Kaolin is also used in making adhesives and sealants, cement and glass fibre. Kaolin is classified in grades; the first grade fetches the highest amount of money. World market price range between $2 to $5 per kilogramme.
Having been listed as one of the minerals for exploration, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has dispatched a team of four geologists to study and evaluate the grade and quantity of the kaolin in Kooki.
The team headed by a senior exploration geologist, Vincent Kato, arrived in Rakai earlier this month.
Kato says the research is a World Bank-funded programme under the Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources. Kato says the research will take one month, then a report will be released to private investors.
“Government has no interest investing in the mineral, but will open the programme to investors,†he adds.
Private investors including entrepreneur Gordon Wavamunno have shown interest. According to Rakai LC5 Chairman Vicent Ssemakula, Rakai District Council allocated Wavamunno land for a Kaolin industry. He was born in Kooki.