Joseph Ayolo, Amudat – A total of 30 students sponsored by Evergrande Resource Company Limited in Amudat have appealed to President Museveni to intervene following the closure of the company’s mining activities in the district.
Evergrande had been conducting gold exploration in Amudat and sponsoring many Pokot students in various fields, including nursing, midwifery, and agriculture at the university level. The company also provided monthly support to 20 elderly individuals, supplying them with 20 kilograms of posho and beans each month.
However, last week, for unclear reasons, Commissioner of Mines Ms. Agness Alaba ordered the suspension of all company activities until further notice.
The shutdown has caused concern among the sponsored students, who fear their futures may be jeopardized since the company, which has been supporting them, has ceased operations.
Christine Chenangat, one of the nursing and midwifery students, said they will soon return to school but is worried about potential challenges with tuition fees if the company’s financial support is no longer available. “We need the President to intervene because we don’t know where to start, and some of us are close to completing our courses,” she said.
Charity Louke, another sponsored student studying at Ngora School of Nursing and Midwifery for a certificate in midwifery, expressed that although issues with the investor might have occurred, it would have been better to resolve them without halting the company’s activities. “Who is going to help us like Evergrande has been doing?” she asked.
Similar concerns have been voiced by the general public, who are demanding to know what went wrong with the company’s activities.
Attempts to reach the directors of Evergrande Resource Company Limited for comment were unsuccessful. The contact for Agness Alaba was also unavailable.
