By Dorothy Nalumansi
The management of Teso Cooperative Union- TCU has denied knowledge about the alleged existence of mercury at Kyere ginnery in Serere district. It comes after a group of residents attacked the Kasilo County MP, Elijah Okupa, who also doubles the Teso Cooperative Union- TCU Board Chair and contractors while carrying out a value audit and assessment of the ginnery property on October 15, 2022.
In his statement, John Bosco Otim, the Manager of TCU explains that the cooperative had hired a contractor to carry out a value audit and assessment of all property at the ginnery. He explains that on the said date, the MP who doubles as the Chairperson of TCU arrived at Kyere together with some members of the board, management, and contractors to address the locals who had gathered at the ginnery premises before commencing the exercise. He, however, says that residents who had kept watch over the ginnery turned rowdy when the contractor started breaking into the ginnery.
They pelted the TCU board members and contractors with stones to protest the excavation of what they claimed was mercury. This forced the Police, which had deployed to fire teargas and live ammunition to break up the protest, which left 15 people nursing injuries. “The situation escalated as one of the locals attempted to grab the RDC’s gun which caused more gunfire and we decided to abandon our exercise. After being dispersed, the rioters re-grouped and attacked our area Manager, seriously injuring him in the process,” the TCU statement reads in part.
Otim added that the exercise was meant to revamp operations and installations of TCU assets across the region and Kyere Ginnery is one of the beneficiaries of the recovery phase. He notes that over the years, vandals have ransacked the ginnery and taken off with machinery worth hundreds of millions and this caused the surrounding community in Kyere to develop an ownership mindset prompting them to form a committee to protect the union from such vandals.
However, the residents of Kyere Town Council argue that there’s mercury and other precious minerals in the ginnery. John Esadu, the Kyere Sub County LC III Chairperson says the ginnery has caused the death of at least three people who attempted to access it in the past.
“Inside that building, there’s no network coverage and one of the inner doors repels any forces attempting to access it. We have lost people trying to access the ginnery and we are convinced that some minerals especially mercury are in that house,” he said while meeting the area MPs who visited the ginnery recently after the fracas.
Hellen Adoa, the Serere Woman wants experts in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to visit the area and alley the fears of the communities. Adoa is concerned about the safety of residents whom she notes are suspicious of minerals in the ginnery.
The East Kyoga Regional Police Spokesman, Oscar Gregg Ageca says they have commenced investigations into the matter. Some of the people injured during the fracas in Kyere are still nursing injuries in the hospital.
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