Apac Residents Demand Share of Ibuje Rock Quarry Profits Amid Ownership Clash

Tensions are rising in Apac District over Ibuje Rock, a prime granite quarry now crucial for the 191-kilometre Rwenkunye–Apac–Lira–Puranga road upgrade, funded by the Islamic Development Bank and Uganda government.

A contractor under the Ministry of Works and Transport is crushing stone from the site for Sadeem Al-Kuwait General Trading and Contracting Company, boosting the rock’s value. Locals claim officials at Ibuje Town Council and Apac District are pocketing revenues, ignoring community needs.

For decades, the Awino Stone Quarry Cooperative, tied to the family of the late Joseph William Okune, has relied on small-scale extraction for income. The Okune family holds a 1991 lease from the 1970s occupation, upheld by a 2019 High Court ruling that voided a sub-lease to a telecom firm and halted blasting by Matrix Lands Limited.

Despite the court ordering a 10-hectare lease extension on the original 80-hectare site, residents say district leaders are stalling implementation. The matter reached President Museveni, prompting State House legal intervention.

On April 16, 2026, State House officers Timothy Nkonge and Judith Oroma visited Ibuje, verifying boundaries that aligned with community claims and original documents. District officials failed to clarify alternative land offers, and Nkonge urged the Apac District Land Board to review the renewal application swiftly.

Land Board chair Emmanuel Opio Okol noted the original lease lapsed in the mid-1990s but stressed administrative resolution per the court order, tasking the Area Land Committee to act.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)