Five security guards were arrested in Rubanda district, Uganda after they allegedly threatened to shoot at the team of Minister of State for Mineral Development, Hon Phiona Nyamutooro, police confirmed.
The Minister was visiting the district to investigate an alleged illegal mining site operated by the National Cement Company in Butare Katoojo.
The Minister was accompanied by a technical team from the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines and the Police Mobile Patrol Unit (PMPU), who arrived at the site to inspect Iron Ore Exploration License No. EL00340 belonging to STEAM Investments in Muko.
This visit followed a complaint by STEAM Investments that their exploration license had been encroached upon by individuals allegedly working for John Muluri Muyambi and National Cement Company, who were reportedly mining illegally without a license.
According to a police statement, the security guards blocked the Minister’s convoy as she attempted to proceed for a fact-finding inspection. The guards then allegedly cocked their guns and threatened to shoot.
A source revealed that the private guard had been instructed by his bosses not to allow anyone, including government officials, to access the facility.
“He was acting upon the directive of his bosses, who have been involved in illegal mining in the area. So when the soft-spoken Minister Nyamutoro insisted, the guard pulled his riffle and threatened to end her life, but her bodyguards intervened and disarmed him before he was arrested,” said the source.
Minister Nyamutoro’s visit to Kisoro District stemmed from concerns about illegal mining operations that have been happening there. The extent and nature of these activities are not detailed in the available reports.