Police and local residents in Namayingo District in Eastern Uganda have concluded a two-week retrieval operation following a tragic mine collapse in Mabuka Village, Bukana Sub-county, recovering six dead bodies of artisanal miners buried deep underground.
The disaster occurred two weeks ago when a gold pit measuring over 50 feet deep caved in while more than 10 miners were excavating gold ores.
The tragedy unfolds
Speaking to journalists on August 4, Commander of the Minerals Police Unit in the Eastern Region, Mr Cephas Wanjala, confirmed that the joint search operation had successfully brought the tragic recovery efforts to a close.
“Today, we retrieved the final body from the rubble, bringing the total number of bodies officially recovered from the collapsed pit to five,” Mr. Wanjala said, noting that four bodies had been pulled out earlier in the multi-day excavation.
However, sources on the ground and local residents revealed that six miners died in total during the tragedy. According to highly placed sources who spoke to this publication, one victim’s body was secretly and hastily removed by fellow miners before security forces arrived at the scene, as operators feared legal repercussions.
Among the deceased are two brothers, Israel Twinomulem and Daniel Byakatonda, both residents of Lubaali Village, Kasanda in Mubende District. The other victims were identified as Sowedi, Wejuli, Gift, and Wycliffe, all hailing from Namayingo and Busia districts.
Survivor recounts horror underground
Siriman Mwase, one of the few miners who survived the fatal incident, recalled the harrowing moment the earth gave way shortly after they entered the pit.
“We left our camp with the victims in the morning and headed into the mine. But shortly after we entered, the walls collapsed and caved in, trapping everyone inside,” Mr. Mwase said.
Mr. Mwase explained that police and fellow miners acted swiftly to dig through the heavy soils, rescuing him and several others alive. However, several of his colleagues were brought to the surface already dead. Survivors were rushed to Buyinja Health Centre IV for emergency medical treatment and have since been discharged.
A local miner, Mr Ibrahim Ssebunya, noted that while response efforts began immediately, it took two full weeks to completely excavate the collapsed pit and recover all remaining bodies due to deep soils and inadequate specialized equipment.
Sienne Kanakuganda, a brother to the deceased Mubende miners, expressed relief after waiting at the site for two grueling weeks. He stated that receiving his brothers’ bodies allows the family to finally transport them home for a decent burial.
Unregulated mining and growing toll in Uganda
The Mabuka gold mine had been officially closed in early June by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development alongside the Minerals Protection Unit following an intense gold rush that began in May.
According to Mr. Wanjala, the site falls within the exploration license of Wagagai Mining Limited-a major Chinese firm operating out of Alupe, Busia District, which hosts one of Africa’s largest gold refineries. Despite official closure orders, artisanal miners took advantage of the lack of permanent police guards to sneak back into the hazardous tunnels.
Police have now deployed heavy earth-moving equipment to backfill the abandoned shafts and open pits left behind by illegal operations. Residents have been ordered to temporarily vacate the vicinity as safety clearing operations continue.
A persistent nationwide hazard
The Namayingo tragedy reflects a broader, deadliest trend in Uganda’s unregulated artisanal and small-scale mining sector. Due to poverty, high youth unemployment, and the lack of protective gear or professional engineering standards, thousands of Ugandans venture into unstable, deep underground shafts daily.
Mine collapses are reported continuously across Uganda’s gold-rich regions, including Karamoja, Buhweju, Bushenyi, Mubende, and Busoga. Dozens of artisanal miners lose their lives annually in similar pit cave-ins, particularly during rainy seasons when heavy downpours weaken unreinforced earth walls.
Earlier this year, a single landslide at a gold site in Bushenyi District claimed five lives, while multiple fatal collapses were recorded across Karamoja in Kaabong District, where young miners routinely enter deep shafts without helmets, supports, or oxygen supplies.
Despite the obvious dangers, surviving miners like Mr. Mwase continue to appeal to authorities for controlled access rather than outright bans.
“We have no other source of livelihood apart from gold mining,” Mr. Mwase said. “Our request to the police and government is to allow us to mine under strict safety guidelines rather than closing the sites entirely.”
The recovered bodies remain at the Buyinja Health Centre IV mortuary as families make arrangements to transport them to their respective home districts for burial.