The pattern
Artisanal output from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, north-western Tanzania and western Kenya has long moved toward Kampala's buying and refining capacity. The differential is not geological but institutional: Uganda offered a faster, cheaper route to a buyer.
Why it is a Ugandan problem
Uganda absorbs the reputational consequence of upstream conditions it does not control, including conflict-adjacent production. That exposure sits on Ugandan licences and Ugandan refiners, and it is priced into what international counterparties will pay.
The route out
Segregated feed lines, refiner-level audits and publication of aggregate origin data would let compliant Ugandan operators separate themselves from the general regional discount. Nothing in that requires the neighbours to reform first.