The Ministry of Energy, through Uganda’s power distributor, has restored long-idle electricity lines in Ntungamo District after installing 12 new transformers, bringing hope to communities that have spent nearly a decade waiting for power despite having lines running over their homes.
Commissioning the restored lines at Mujwa Primary School on Monday, Eng Abdon Atwine, the ministry’s commissioner for rural electrification, said the intervention marks a major step in unlocking stalled distribution infrastructure.
‘These are areas where lines were vandalized, we have now given them 12 transformers to start operating. We hope the residents will effectively use the electricity,’ Eng Atwine said.
‘We currently have only 24% of Ugandans accessing the main grid and at least 30% getting electricity through other means. We intend to have this main grid coverage reach 80% by 2040, this we can’t do when we have lines that are not operational over small issues,’ the engineer said.
He added that at least one million Ugandans will access free household connections within two years under a $630 million grant aimed at expanding access.
‘In the next two years, we are going to connect at least one million households to electricity for free and this will follow the order of applications. We have gotten a $630M grant to have this project and we hope this will boost connectivity. We also intend to extend more lines,’ he said.
Ms Berinda Murungi, UEDCL’s Ntungamo District manager, said the district has 153 transformers spread across 800km of lines, yet more than 70% of the area still lacks electricity.
Mr Edward Natamba, a resident of Mpaama Village, said communities have endured years of frustration while waiting for connections.
‘We have for the past 9 years seen wires passing in our village, no power. People made technical wiring in their houses with hopes of power in 2017, some were given certificates but no one has been connected,’ he said.
He added: ‘How can government spend full 9 years without repairing such. We are now happy that this is also launched but still in doubt whether we shall have the power.’
Former Ntungamo Woman MP Beatrice Rwakimari called the launch a ‘big relief’ for residents who had lost hope in the stalled project, while Resident District Commissioner Mirriam Kagaiga urged communities to protect the lines from vandals so that the revived network can function as intended.