Constitution of Uganda / Article 244 Minerals and petroleum
District land boards
244.Minerals and petroleum
(1)Subject to Article 26 of this Constitution, the entire property in, and the control of, all minerals and petroleum in, on or under, any land or waters in Uganda are vested in the Government on behalf of the Republic of Uganda.
(2)Subject to this Article, Parliament shall make laws regulating—
(a)the exploitation of minerals and petroleum;
(b)the sharing of royalties arising from mineral and petroleum exploitation;
(c)the conditions for payment of indemnities arising out of exploitation of minerals and petroleum; and
(d)the conditions regarding the restoration of derelict lands.
(3)Minerals, mineral ores and petroleum shall be exploited taking into account the interest of the individual landowners, local governments and the Government.
(4)In this Article— “mineral” means any substance, other than petroleum, whether in solid, liquid or gaseous form occurring naturally in or on the earth, formed by or subject to a geological process; “petroleum” means—
(a)any naturally occurring hydrocarbons, whether in gaseous, liquid or solid state;
(b)any naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbons, whether in a gaseous, liquid or solid state; or
(c)any naturally occurring mixture of one or more hydrocarbons, (whether in a gaseous, liquid or solid state) and any other substances; and includes any petroleum as defined by paragraph (a), (b) or this paragraph that has been returned to a natural reservoir, but does not include coal, shale, or any substance that may be extracted from coal or shale.
(5)For the purposes of this Article, “mineral” does not include clay, murrain, sand or any stone commonly used for building or similar purposes.
(6)Parliament may regulate the exploitation of any substance excluded from the definition of mineral under this Article when exploited for commercial purposes.