In Kassanda District, a deadly brew of child labour, hazardous chemicals, and unregulated mining practices has taken root, exposing children and adults alike to grave risks in the pursuit of gold.
Here, gold mining, which began in the 1980s, has become a dangerous, yet lucrative, industry where unrecorded output, the use of banned chemicals, and the exploitation of children are common practices.
Mukasa, a 15-year-old boy from Kyankwanzi, is just one of many children who have abandoned their education to toil in the gold pits. “I dropped out of school. My parents had no money,” he shared with a shy smile.
Mukasa’s dream is to become rich and escape the poverty that brought him to the mines. But, like many children his age, he faces severe risks, working in conditions that the International Labour Organisation deems the worst forms of child labour.
The situation in Kassanda is dire. A report by Stop Child Labour, an international child rights organisation, revealed that 70–80% of workers in gold washing areas were children.
Many of them are involved in dangerous tasks such as digging, hauling heavy soil, and panning for gold. Yet, the rewards are few and far between.
According to Frank Jjuuko, an artisanal miner, workers, including children, are paid in a share of the soil they extract, often receiving little to no compensation for days of hard labour.
In the informal mining industry, children are often hired because they are cheaper to employ than adults. Isaac Ssendi, an artisanal miner, explains that they offer cheap labour compared to adults. “Besides being affordable, they are trustworthy and obedient, qualities essential in this business,” he says.
But the exploitation does not stop there. Many children also work selling food and drinks to miners, contributing to the toxic environment in which they live. Despite the visible presence of children, local supervisors often deny their involvement.
Charles Wamono, a site supervisor, claimed that no young children are employed, though he later admitted that boys working in the mines are often local residents taking on light tasks during school holidays.
Efforts to curb child labour in Uganda’s gold mines have been slow to yield results. In 2017, the “Joint Forces to Tackle Child labour—From Gold Mine to Electronics” project was launched, but the challenge of combating child labour persists.
Joshua Rukundo, Senior Project Officer at Solidaridad East and Central Africa, notes that while progress has been made, combating child labour in Uganda’s mines remains an ongoing challenge.
Mercury Poisoning
Beyond the exploitation of children, mercury poisoning is another deadly risk faced by workers in Kassanda. Despite being banned in Uganda, mercury remains a common tool for artisanal miners.
It is used to extract gold from the soil, but its toxic effects are devastating, particularly for children. During a visit to the mines, our reporter witnessed a young girl, no older than three, panning mercury-laced water alongside her parents, unaware of the harm they were causing.
Dr. Herbert Nabaasa, Uganda’s Commissioner for Environmental Health, warns that even small amounts of mercury can lead to serious health problems.
“It affects the nervous, digestive, and immune systems and can lead to cognitive impairment, tremors, and neurological disorders,” he says.
Mercury exposure is particularly harmful to unborn children and infants, who face developmental delays and cognitive dysfunction as a result.
Mercury continues to enter Uganda illegally through porous borders with Kenya, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although Uganda ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2019, which bans the import and use of mercury, it remains readily available.
According to a report from the International Trade Centre, Uganda’s mercury imports, mostly sourced from Malaysia, the UK, and India, were significant before the treaty, while smuggled mercury flows into the country from neighboring regions.
The 2019 National Baseline Overview Study found that Kassanda and Mubende districts account for more than half of the mercury used in Uganda’s artisanal gold mining industry.
Emmanuel Kibirige, National Coordinator of the Uganda Association of Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners, reveals that many miners have learned to hide mercury from inspectors, even resorting to concealing it in their mouths to evade detection.
A Struggle for Change
Despite efforts to curb mercury use and child labour, local authorities are struggling to make any meaningful progress.
Benjamin Ekodit, Chairperson of Bukuya Town Council, voiced his frustration saying “all our efforts are in vain. Whenever we raise concerns, there is interference from higher authorities”
He noted that illegal mining sites are widespread, and miners often relocate when enforcement is attempted.
Amina Kiiza, Inspector of Mines for the Central Region, confirmed the difficulty of addressing illegal mining in Kassanda. “Some miners are armed and lawless, which makes enforcement dangerous,” she explains.
“Many illegal mining sites are unknown to local authorities, and the miners simply move to other areas when we intervene.”
In the end, the gold mined in Kassanda, often by children working in hazardous conditions, is smuggled out of the country, entering the global gold trade through unofficial channels.
David Ssebagala, Senior Inspector of Mines at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, explained that much of this gold is sold to local buyers who then resell it or smuggle it abroad.
Exploitation sighted
The gold and mercury trade in Kassanda is part of a larger, illicit network that involves not only the exploitation of children but also the illegal smuggling of gold and toxic chemicals.
As Uganda grapples with this crisis, authorities remain caught between trying to enforce laws and the fear of retaliation from armed, lawless miners.
The scale of child labour, mercury use, and illegal mining in Kassanda paints a grim picture of the country’s artisanal gold industry, one that continues to thrive despite efforts to rein it in.
The global demand for gold and the lack of viable alternatives for artisanal miners have created a dangerous, unsustainable industry that exploits the most vulnerable.
As the government and international organisations work to find solutions, the children of Kassanda, like Mukasa, continue to dream of a better future, one that may never come.
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