Wagagai hands over Shs4.4bn school, church to Busia community

What the report says

Wagagai Mining Limited has handed over a new primary school and church to the Busia community in eastern Uganda, in what the company says is a community investment worth about Shs4.4 billion. The project is located in Alupe Village, Mawero Town Council, and was presented to Busia District Local Government and the Bishop of Bukedi Diocese at a ceremony attended by local officials, religious leaders and mining sector representatives, according to Nile Post.

The facilities include an eight-classroom primary school, library, staff quarters, a perimeter wall and a safe water source. Nile Post reported that the school cost more than Shs4 billion and is expected to serve more than 600 pupils from Primary One to Seven. Wagagai also built a church on the same premises at a reported cost of Shs700 million to support the Christian community.

At the handover, mining industry leaders used the occasion to call for more long-term community benefits from companies operating in mineral-rich areas. The Uganda Chamber of Energy and Minerals and the Uganda National Mining Company said mining projects should leave visible social value where they operate, especially through education and community development agreements. The company said the initiative is part of its wider engagement programme and that it will continue supporting education and infrastructure in Busia.

The development matters because it reflects a wider debate in Uganda about how mining companies should share benefits with host communities, particularly where operations may be finite but social infrastructure can last much longer.