No more dialogue with investor, Muhongo tells Tarime villagers

MUGINI JACOB in Tarime

Energy and Minerals Minister Professor Sospeter Muhongo

ENERGY and Minerals Minister Prof Sospeter Muhongo has said there is no room for entertaining more problems pitting North Mara Gold Mine against the surrounding local communities.

Prof Muhongo insisted in Tarime yesterday that whoever will not be satisfied with the findings and recommendations made by a special team he formed to examine the problems early this year, should take legal action.

“This issue has dragged on for too long. People have suffered for a long time and the gold mine has complained so much. It is high time all parties involved said enough is enough,” the minister said shortly before he allowed members of the team to read their recommendations. The committee, he said had met and interviewed 4,400 people in 80 sub-villages located in areas around the mine on various issues.

“This is the last time we bring this issue. 4,400 people have been interviewed. We have reached the conclusion and this is final. I wish to repeat, this is final,” he stressed. The minister warned that those who will not respect implementation of the recommendations will face legal actions.

“Enough is enough, and it is the government that will implement the recommendations, not any other person,” the minister maintained. He said no more chance will be available for dialogue or public meetings . Mr John Shija from Ministry of Energy and Minerals said among other things the committee had registered more than 1,700 complaints related to compensation issues.

“The committee has established that many complaints are historical and tegesha house claims are not genuine,” the official said. The committee recommended that owners of all tegesha houses, built near the gold mine should not be compensated.

Tegesha is a popular name given to temporary houses built by ‘opportunists’ targeting huge compensation from the mine, which is operated by Acacia Mining. Mr Sylvester Mwakitalu, a senior state attorney from the Attorney General’s Office said the mining company should compensate for crops that were destroyed at Nyamichere area, despite that the location is not required by the mine.

The committee also recommended that the payment should be increased from eight per cent to 50 per cent, 25 per cent of which will be given to the affected people while 25 per cent goes to village councils.

“They should be paid compensation and disturbance before September this year,” the team recommends on part of the report read by Mr Mwakitalu. Affected people living at Mjini kati village should collect their compensation before August 7 this year and failure to heed the order will result in evacuation, the commission further recommends.

The committee also directed the miner to provide 500m /- it promised to give Matongo immediately. “The gold mine cannot be forced to take areas that it does not need. Thus all citizens who built speculation houses (tegesha) should not be paid anything. It is a violation of the law,” he said