The Mining and Minerals Bill, 2021 which is intended to Strengthen the Legal and Regulatory Framework for the Licensing and Development of the Mineral Sector has been passed by Cabinet according to the Minister of Information Ms. Judith Nabakooba .
The law will also ensure efficient, equitable, accountable and transparent management of mineral revenues and organize and legislate artisanal and small-scale mining in Uganda.
The Minerals law also provides for gender mainstreaming, equity and human rights and eradication of child labour in the Mining industry. Child labour has been a big problem in the mining areas of Mubende and Karamoja .
Government through this law also seeks to provide a framework for marketing and ensure value addition of minerals while emphasizing the need for promotion of local content and general national participation in the mineral industry.
Nabakooba also said in a statement that Cabinet took note of the progress being made to stem the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
She said that the current total case load for Covid-19 stands at 41,140 and deaths at 337 while the daily average of new cases is at 20 and cumulative recoveries stand at 40,779.
The Minister said that there 24 patients admitted in the different health facilities despite general decline in the case count since January 2021 and the Ministry of Health has observed trends of clusters of increased cases in several Districts notably Adjumani, Oyam, Masaka, Arua, Gulu, Kyotera and Mbale in the past one Month.
So far , a total of 180,969 people had been vaccinated in 136 districts and that the number of vaccination centers in the various districts have increased from five to at least one in each Sub County.
Health officials have not reported any major adverse side effects expect for the known side effects of fever, muscle pains, fatigue and nausea and that these side effects are not experienced by everybody and resolve by themselves in one or two days.
