New explosives law proposes fine of Shs10 billion

The Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Gen. David Muhoozi, has tabled the Explosives Bill, 2023 which proposes Shs10 billion in fines, 10-year jail term or both for new offences it proposes.

Tabled during the plenary siting held on Tuesday, 15 August 2023, the 47 clauses Bill has been referred to the Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs by the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa. 

Muhoozi said the new law is intended to streamline the licensing of explosives and its use in the mining sector, repeal the existing Explosives Act 1936, and create the position of Chief Explosives Inspector, among others.

“The absence of major reforms in the existing law on explosives has made it difficult to regulate the use, storage and manufacture of explosives resulting into unauthorised access to explosives; he said adding that, ‘the Bill, therefore, seeks to regulate the manufacture, storage, use, dealing, import, export and transportation of explosives for purposes of averting any security threats relating to explosives’.

Clause 10 of the Bill proposes the creation of the position of Chief Explosives Inspector who will be poached from any of the existing security agencies and could be vested with sweeping powers in the licencing, supervision and inspection of players in the explosives industry, should the Bill become law. 

The Bill defines explosives and seeks to steer clear of explosives imported for use as war material by security agencies, restricting itself to explosives used in mining and other related undertakings.