Uganda: Residents Demand Ban On Children in Quarry After Deadly Collapse in Mityana

Uganda's informal mining sector faces renewed scrutiny following a fatal quarry collapse in Mityana District that claimed the lives of two children, triggering demands from local communities for age-restricted access to extraction sites. This incident underscores a critical governance challenge that extends far beyond Uganda's borders, with significant implications for European investors navigating East Africa's resource extraction landscape. The tragedy in Minana Village represents a microcosm of Uganda's broader informal mining economy, where an estimated 80-90% of stone and aggregate extraction occurs outside formal regulatory frameworks. Unlike structured mining operations in larger countries, Uganda's quarry sector remains largely unregulated, with minimal safety standards, environmental oversight, or labor protections. Children as young as five reportedly work in quarries across the country, often because families lack alternative income sources and enforcement mechanisms are virtually non-existent. From an investment perspective, this incident illuminates a structural risk that many European firms underestimate when entering East African markets. While Uganda has made progress in formalizing certain sectors, the mining and quarrying subsector remains deeply informal. European investors who source aggregates, gemstones, or other minerals from Uganda—either directly or through supply chains—face reputational, legal, and operational risks. The European Union's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD),