State Minister for Minerals, Ms Sarah Opendi has told Parliament that she has received death threats from anonymous people who she described as mafias promoting illegal gold mining.

The Minister who in recent months has been traversing the different mining areas across the country was responding to a matter raised by Kalungu West MP, Mr Joseph Ssewungu who said there might be deliberate efforts to fail her.

Mr Ssewungu reported to Parliament that he fears the minister may fail to streamline the mining sector because of the sectarianism involved in its management.

"The Minister of Energy may not be able to do much when people from one region are the ones manning the Minerals Protection Unit of the Uganda Police Force," Mr Ssewungu said.

According to the MP, all the 20 senior officers in the unit are from western Uganda and this, he said may frustrate any effort aimed at streamlining the mining sector, especially if such efforts are deemed by the officers to be against their personal interests.