Minerals Development

Kamuli Municipality has abundant local deposits of minerals, particularly murram, sand, and clay found mainly in Southern Division, including the Buwuda and Kananage zones. These resources are critical inputs for the rapidly growing construction sector, supporting both public infrastructure projects and private real estate development. Local communities, especially youth and women, are actively engaged in brick-making, sand harvesting, and murram excavation, which provide important livelihood opportunities and contribute to the local economy. There is significant potential to formalize and scale up this sector through improved extraction techniques, better marketing of construction materials, and investment in local processing technologies, such as stabilized soil blocks, fired bricks, and pre-cast building components. Such interventions could not only increase incomes for local producers but also support urban infrastructure development and lower construction costs within the municipality.

Despite these opportunities, the sector faces serious challenges and constraints. Unregulated excavation and extraction have led to environmental degradation, including landscape scarring, siltation of nearby wetlands, and loss of vegetation cover. Land ownership disputes between communities and private operators often create tension and disrupt mining activities, while the absence of safety gear and formal training exposes workers-especially youth and women-to occupational hazards. Moreover, there is minimal local processing and value addition, with most of the materials sold in raw form, limiting economic gains and job creation potential. Weak enforcement of local mining bylaws, inadequate institutional oversight, and limited community awareness on sustainable mining practices further compound these problems.