76 block Achwa power line over delayed compensation

A cross section of Project Affected Persons (PAPS) in Angagura sub country, Pader District in Northern Uganda have dragged Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) to court over delayed land compensation.

76 PAPs represented by their lawyer, Mr Calvin Kilama, are requesting court to issue a temporary injunction halting activities by UEDCL on the construction of the 33 kilovotts (Kv) power distribution line meant to supply power from Achwa dam.

The PAPs say that UEDCL did not consult them prior to construction of the line which runs through some of their properties and that they have not been duly compensated.

“The community on whose land the line is planned to pass through complained, which culminated into bringing this suit. The complaint is that the line is being installed on their land without them being compensated. There are two cases filed; one for an interim injunction and the other is for a temporary injunction scheduled for December,” Mr Kilama explained emphasising that all they seek is compensation.

Response
In its defense, UEDCL claims that it consulted the locals, valued the properties that need to be compensated and the process is currently underway.

“Many of them felt that as long as this project is done, government will never pay them the money, a position which was not true because payment undergoes a process. We did the evaluation of 108 PAPS and presented it to the chief government valuer for endorsement and authorisation for the company to proceed and pay. This process does not seem to move at the pace the community probably loves,” Mr Jonan Kiiza, senior corporate affairs and public relations officer, UEDCL says.

Genesis
In July, residents of Angagura blocked the road leading to Burlobo village stalling construction of the distribution line.

Resultantly, UEDCL through local leaders called for the public’s patience promising that they would be compensated, a discussion that birthed some silence for three months.

Local leaders
However, the uproar has risen again through court which some local leaders say is orchestrated by other local leaders under the guise that the PAPS can get more money from government.

In a letter written to the Resident District Commissioner, Mr Lazarus Obbo, the Local Council III accused his Gombolola Internal Security Officer, Mr Kelly Ojara of inciting the locals to block the government project.

Government infrastructure projects continue facing delays due to land and compensation problems.
However, Mr Godfrey Largo, Local Council V chairman, Pader district blamed “bush lawyers” and opposition leaders in the district saying they incited people to go to court and interrupt the government project.

“Bush lawyers think the community will not be listened to. They wanted to seek the help of court which us as community leaders think is not a good approach,” he alleged.

Power cuts
The northern region, which makes up 20.8 per cent of the country’s population according to 2018 Uganda Bureau of statistics abstract has since post insurgence languished in darkness, stemming from unreliable power.

The unrealiability of electricity is a consequence of a single source of power from Bujagali dam supplying the region, which is affected by distance coupled with faults at the Lira substation which is the region’s major supplier.
Human economic activities such as bush burning for cultivation and charcoal also affect many of the electricity investments based in the northern region.

Power reliability
To boost reliability in the region, Aswa River Energy Project (ARPE) Limited started construction of Achwa hydro power dam 1 and 2.

However, due to delays in construction of the 132kv transmission line that was meant to evacuate power from the dam, government in January allocated Shs30b to UEDCL to construct an interim solution, which is the 33kv distribution line, currently under contention.

Being a distribution line, only 12MW of power will be evacuated from the Aswa dam as opposed to the 42MW, meaning the dam will be operating below capacity.

The project – a double circuit line stretching 40Km – was due for completion in October but has now delayed due to the resistance by the community. However, it is currently envisaged to go live before the end of the year.

The contentious point is the 30Km stretch between Angagura Sub County to Achwa dam.
The predicament is that the public is blocking an investment aimed at solving their prevailing challenge of electricity, to acquire compensation for their land.

Then again, PAPS are skeptical of government’s strategy of compensating them as the project carries on perpetuated by the lack of trust that it will pay up after works are completed.

Nonetheless, if powering of the distribution line is impeded, the public including the PAPs will have to pay for deemed energy that would otherwise be produced by the dam, through the tariff.

Cost of Achwa power
UETCL signed an agreement with ARPE Limited to buy power from the dam for 40 years, with a payment schedule of 9.83 US cents per Kilowatt hour in the first year.

The energy charge will later increase to 10.16 US cents/kwh in the second year and 9.97 US cents/Kwh in the third to fifteenth year.

Compensation
Unlike the transmission company, UEDCL compensates without evicting the occupant.

“The power that we are distributing can co-exist with people. The essence is not to obstruct people from their normal agricultural practices unless they want to invest in agro-forestry. You can appreciate that our poles are heightened,” Mr Kiiza says adding that all tall trees in the path of the electricity poles were fully compensated.

The case was adjourned to the end of the month.