Shs3.8 billion invested to improve power supply in Kira
The expansion of the Matugga-Kasangati-Kira-Kyaliwajjala road, will present more economic opportunities and as a result, the demand for electricity in the area is expected to increase, which calls for reliable supply.
Power distributor Umeme has said it is injecting Shs3.8b to improve power supply in Kira Municipality.
The project seeks to put in place two new power lines from Namugongo substation to Kira to wean areas such as Najeera off the overloaded Namugongo-Kyaliwajjala power line.
It also seeks to shorten the distance between the substation and Kira Municipality, thus reducing loss of electricity in the form of heat.
Mr Job Watti, the Umeme projects investment manager, said in a statement yesterday that demand for power in Kira Municipality has outstripped supply thus the new project.
“Demand for power from our 62,247 customers has outgrown the capacity of the three lines feeding Kira and the surrounding areas,” he said, noting that to solve the demand and reliability problems, there was need to introduce additional lines.
The project is expected, according to Mr Watti, to be completed by the first quarter of 2023.
Kira Municipality, which for years was largely a residential area for many of Kampala’s working classes, is now transforming into a business centre.
Many structures have been demolished to pave way for commercial buildings such as apartments and shopping malls.
Furthermore, the expansion of the Matugga-Kasangati-Kira-Kyaliwajjala road, will present more economic opportunities and as a result, the demand for electricity in the area is expected to increase, which calls for reliable supply.
The Namugongo–Najeera reliability improvement project is one of the many Umeme is undertaking.
Others include constructing dedicating lines to, among other installations, national hospitals to enable the health facilities store blood and drugs without worrying of outages.
Mr Selestino Babungi, the Umeme managing director, said in a statement that works would now offer customers assured and more reliable supply.
“Not only will the supply be reliable, the quality of supply is also greatly enhanced,” he said, urging customers to bear with interruptions such as traffic interruptions during the refurbishment works.
Increasing demand
With Uganda’s power generation capacity now exceeding demand, attention has been redirected to providing stable power and increasing consumption. Power distributors are increasingly investing in underground cables and connecting more applicants to the electricity grids respectively.
