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Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government has launched airborne survey and mineral mapping in Karamoja.
The survey was launched on Thursday in Moroto by the State Minister for Minerals Sarah Opendi. The deal was awarded to Xcalibur, a company from Spain.
According to Opendi, the exercise which is expected to start next week will run for three weeks and it will cost the government 80 Billion Shillings.
“Government delayed in carrying out the airborne survey in Karamoja because of the insecurity situation here but we are glad that the situation has changed and we are now starting the survey,” she said.
In 2019, Cabinet approved a proposal to borrow Euros 20,622,435 million (approximately Shillings 84 billion) from the Corporate Internationalization Fund of Spain to finance airborne geological and geophysical survey mapping in Karamoja.
The survey will enable the government to establish the available mineral resources in the region. It is intended to improve livelihoods for mining communities as a result of better returns from their activities.
However last year, Members of Parliament from Karamoja rejected the loan request for the survey. They argued that there is a need for the government to first address the poverty ravaging Karamoja region before they look at borrowing money for minerals that do not benefit the region.
During the period of the survey, a helicopter carrying a round-magnetic gradiometer will be used to take measurements of rocks found below the surface of the ground.
Opendi appealed to the leaders of Karamoja to sensitize the community in areas where the survey will be carried out to avoid suspicion.
“There are two aircrafts and they will be flying at low as 80 meters above the ground so people might get scared and start running away please let us alert them,“ she said.
Abrahams Lokii, the Member of Parliament for Jie County in Kotido district who made a presentation on behalf of Members of Parliament for Karamoja said the project was long overdue.
“As leaders of Karamoja we are very happy over this exercise and we are sure the government our total support,” he said.
According to Lokii, after the survey, they intend to carry out a land audit to know the amount of land that will remain for the community.
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