Bushenyi locals petition Museveni over delayed power connection

Residents from seven sub-counties in Igara West, Bushenyi District, have petitioned President Museveni, asking him to prevail over a situation in which their areas remain unconnected to the national electricity grid even when the poles were availed and fixed four years ago.

In the letter seen by this publication on Wednesday, the locals say they are unhappy with the delayed connection of the poles that were fixed without wires and have remained unused for four years.

"We don't know whether the contractor signed the contract and ran away before completion, or if it's a case of a project paid for but not done. There is no value addition in terms of produced goods in those areas as there is no electricity, limited and/or no factories, a health sector is really suffering, and communication is still a challenge. We need your intervention," the petitioners wrote.

The lead petitioner, Mr Cohen Amanya Kyampene, said their area has growing town councils and other trading centres like Bitooma, Akashanda, and Nkanga, whose growth has been crippled by a lack of electricity, yet they feed into the main trading areas of Ishaka, Bushenyi, and others.

"It has been almost five years since these poles were fixed without wires and electric lines. The said poles cost the government huge sums of money, and the same might go to waste if your office does not intervene and place the electric wires on the said poles, as some poles have started to rot and become unfit for purpose," Mr Amanya said.

The petitioners want the President to direct and cause the relevant government officials to take administrative action, investigate the matter, and prosecute in court of law any person who might have a hand in sabotaging the project.

The Bushenyi District chairperson, Mr Jafari Basajabalaba, told this publication that they have written several times to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), but nothing has been done to solve the problem.

"REA officials told us that the project was disrupted by the REA-Ministry of Energy merger, which did not provide budgets for the continuation of the project. We ask the government to expedite the completion of the extension works so that there is value for money," he noted.

In a letter written to the Minister of Energy by the Principal Private Secretary to the President, Dr Kenneth Omona, about the matter, he said he was instructed to forward the issue to the Ministry of Energy for handling.

"I have therefore been instructed to forward this community appeal to you for further management. I request that you update this office on actions taken on the matter," Dr Omona wrote on September 4, 2023.

When contacted about the petition, the Permanent Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Ms Irene Bateebe, said they were working around the clock to solve the issue.

"We are planning to extend power to many of the districts in the country including the ones you have indicated under our Electricity Access Scale Up Project," she said.