UGANDA · MINING
Four artisanal (small-scale, often hand-dug) gold miners have been trapped underground for four days at a mining site in Kassanda District, central Uganda, after a pit collapsed on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Rescue work was still under way on Saturday 14 November.
Police say six men entered a restricted pit at the Kagaba mining site to collect leftover gold ore, and two escaped and raised the alarm. The four who remain trapped are named in local reports as Yoweri Owimaana, Isaac Bijirimaana, Isaac Muneneko and Gasole.
Key Facts
- What A pit collapsed at the Kagaba gold mining site on Tuesday 10 November 2026.
- Who Four men are trapped; two others in the group of six escaped.
- Where Kagaba site, in Bukuya Town Council (a local authority), Kassanda District, central Uganda.
- Status Rescue work continued on 14 November; police have not said whether the men are alive.
- Earlier A man died in a pit at the same site on 18 October; officials urged temporary closure of five pits.
Four days after the collapse, the men are still underground at a site where officials had recently recommended closing five pits.
What Happened at Kagaba
Senior Superintendent Lameck Kigozi, spokesperson for the Wamala Regional Police (the police command that covers Kassanda), said six men had entered a restricted pit to scavenge leftover ore. The practice is known locally as okwekyokola, and the pit belonged to a mine owner named as Joseph Kabira.
Two of the men, named as Rukundo and Kaviiri, escaped unhurt and alerted others. Denis Ssekandi, general manager of the Mubende Miners Association (MUMA, a group representing miners in the area), reported the incident to Kassanda Police Station, the local station.
Police opened a General Inquiry File, a case file for investigation, and visited the site and recorded witness statements. Excavation and rescue work was continuing on Saturday.
Warnings Before the Collapse
On 18 October, a man died in a pit at the same site, local reports said. Officials of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, which regulates mining in Uganda, then recommended temporarily closing five underground pits.
Excavators had been brought in to backfill the pits, but the work was not finished when the six men entered the mine, according to local reports. Kigozi urged miners to stay out of pits declared unsafe and asked mine owners to tighten security at such sites.
What Is Not Known
Police have not said whether the four men are alive, or what caused the collapse. How the six men got into a pit that was meant to be closed is also not explained.
Whether the mine owner faces any action is not known. Police have not said when the inquiry will report.
Who Is Affected
This is above all a local safety story: the families of the four men, and the miners who work at Kagaba, where the ministry had already recommended closing pits. For readers following Uganda, it follows the Namayingo gold mine collapse in eastern Uganda earlier this year, in which local sources counted six dead.
Our earlier report on Uganda’s gold exports covers the wider trade. Police have urged miners and residents to follow ministry safety guidelines and to stay out of closed pits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kassanda?
Kassanda is a district in central Uganda. The Kagaba mining site is in Bukuya Town Council.
What happened at the Kagaba gold mine?
A pit collapsed on Tuesday 10 November 2026 with six men inside. Two escaped and four are trapped underground.
Who are the trapped miners?
Local reports name them as Yoweri Owimaana, Isaac Bijirimaana, Isaac Muneneko and Gasole. Police have not said whether they are alive.
What are police doing?
Police opened a General Inquiry File, visited the scene and recorded witness statements. Rescue work was continuing on 14 November.
Sources: statements by the Wamala Regional Police spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Lameck Kigozi, and by the Mubende Miners Association (MUMA), as relayed in Ugandan local reporting of 14 November 2026; Uganda Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development safety measures at Kagaba, October 2026.
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