threats of evictions by the management of Kilembe mines limited.
Residents say they are the indigenous occupants of the land on where
the mining activity is being done.
"We shall not get intimidated by these scarecrows of Kilembe mines
when we are very much aware that we are occupying our ancestral land,"
the residents charged.
They revealed this on December 3 after the management of Kilembe mines
limited called for a meeting and later failed to turn up.
According to the locals, the general manager Kilembe Mines Limited
(KML) Mr. Kyakony Fred called for the meeting on December 3 at 10 am
to discuss on the safety, theft of company properties and encroachment
on the company land but later delegated the company security manager
Mr. Gideon Kusemererwa in company with the police community liaison
officer at around 3pm.
Soon as the CLO took over his seat, the locals ordered the LC III
chairperson who was chairing the meeting to leave all the business and
dispersed leaving the police and Kilembe mines security manager
stranded on ground.
Locals lead by the sub county chairperson NRM Mr. Katya Nickson said
that the management of Kilembe mines has blocked the area from
development because of keep on threatening them that they are facing
eviction at any time.
He said Mr. Kyakony the general manager do overlook them the reason he
called for the meeting and adamantly refuse to attend it.
Katya dismissed allegations that conflicts are linked to politics as
the chairperson of the sub county belongs to FDC saying that all
parties are being affected by the way Kilembe mines is treating them.
Muhindo Binadamu the chairperson youth council kasese district and an
NRM cadre said that Kilembe is always at log heads with locals
accusing them of stealing their property that is not the case as the
properties are being stolen and vandalized by senior company
employees.
He said the company has never arrested any suspect with stolen
property from Kilembe but locals have been participating in arresting
the senior employers of the company with stolen materials and company
properties.
"you can imagine we even have a list of Kilembe mines officers who
have been caught stealing company properties but no one has ever been
prosecuted but are harassing us for nothing" Binadamu charged.
while speaking to this reporter the security manager Kusemererwa
Gideon said that Mr. Kyakony whom the residents demanded to see in the
eye was busy attending another busy meeting at kasese Cobalt Company
limited.
The District Community Liaison Officer Mr. Musana Joseph described
the protest by locals as a terrible one adding that the worst might be
in waiting.
By Wilson Asiimwe in kasese
0791389776
