By Ronald Musoke
Artisanal miners make a killing from 'illegal' gold mining as district authorities, government cry out for more revenue
From a distance, “Saigon City” in Lubaali— Kayonza, Kitumbi Sub-County in Mubende District, resembles a desperately crowded refugee camp.
Here, hundreds of congested makeshift tents and lodging structures are mostly dressed or covered in blue tarpaulins. It could be mistaken for an outpost for people who recently escaped political mayhem. But that is where the refugee comparisons end.
The oddly named ‘Saigon City’ is one of dozens of artisanal and small-scale gold-mining camps that are scattered in the valleys and hills of this sub-county. It is a settlement for artisanal miners whose population comprises thousands of people – women, men, teenage girls and boys, and a few babies. The adults are all here to eke out a living from gold mining.
READ MORE: https://www.independent.co.ug/inside-mubendes-golden-villages/