Power blackouts cripple businesses in eastern Uganda

But one year later, the area still suffers rampant electricity blackouts.
Mr James Netalisire, the director of Jimmitex Furniture and Construction Company Limited, saIS as business owners, the interruption in electricity supply has led to losses.
“Load shedding negatively impacts our productivity.  lt also damages our  equipment, which are reliant on power supply whenever there are frequent outages,” he says.
 “Equipment reliant on continuous power such as machinery, computers and servers  suffer damage during sudden power cuts but Umeme seems not to be aware,” Mr Netalisire adds.

Ms Sandra Nambozo, who runs a salon on Naboa Road in Mbale City, says she operates her business mostly on generators nowadays.
“If the power outages continue, I will be forced to close because it’s costly to buy a litre of diesel at Shs5,000,” she says.
 Mr Simon Peter Opolot, a barber, says whenever there is a power outage, he finds it hard to  sustain his family.
 “If power goes, it means I have no work. My boss says it’s not viable to use a generator,” he says.
Mr Ashraf Ashaba, the proprietor of Ashaba Lighting City, which deals in electrical  appliances  in Mbale City, says they are being forced to find alternative sources of energy to continue running their businesses.

“But this means incurring additional operating costs, which is a serious pinch to us. We are choking on increased costs,” he says.
The Monitor learnt that most affected areas include, Mbale, Tororo, Busia, Butaleja, Kumi, Soroti, Kapchorwa, Katakwi, Pallisa and Iganga.

Mr Christopher Rotich Simba, the managing director of Noah’s Ark Hotel in Kapchorwa Municipality, says the unstable power supply has impacted the number of tourists visiting the area.
“Most of our clients are tourists and they don’t want to stay in darkness. When we use a generator, they complain of noise,” Mr Simba says.
Sebei suffers frequent power outages, especially in the sub-counties of Cheminy, Kaproron and Binyiny in Kween District and Chema, Barawa, Kapchesombe and Kisenyi in Kapchorwa District.
The Umeme officials attribute the outages to rampant theft and vandalism of electricity poles in the area.

State Minister for Energy Sidronius Opolot recently highlighted Mbale among those most affected by power facility vandals.
Locals in Sebei and other areas, however, blame the vice on lack of supervision by the power distribution company. “The Umeme officials should do their job. Our businesses are collapsing because of lack of stable power,” Mr James Chepsikor, a businessman in Kapchorwa Municipality, says.
Dr Alex Nyongesa, the director Health for Life General Medical Clinic and Laboratory in Mbale City, says load shedding is responsible for maternal mortality deaths in health facilities.
“We rely on power but when there is no power, it affects some services such as surgery and oxygen,”Dr Nyongesa says. 
Mr Mubarak Nkutu, director membership at Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA), says their pleas to the government to stabilise power in the region have fallen on deaf ears.

“For instance, when the industry is manufacturing plastic and power goes off, it incurs a big loss because the entire process has to be repeated,” Mr Nkutu says.
Mr Abdullah Magambo, the Mbale City deputy speaker, says in some areas, they go for 48 hours without power. “Load shedding is a chronic illness. It didn’t start yesterday; it has been there and the citizens are used to it now,” he says. 

Mr Rogers Taitika, the Elgon regional police spokesperson, says rampant power blackouts increase criminality in the area.   Cases of robbery, muggings and fatal attacks, among others, are often reported in various towns in the region.
 Mr David Wafula, electrical engineer, says the government should change its electricity sector investment strategy in order to solve power outages.
 

What umeme says
When contacted, the Umeme communications officer, Mr Peter Kaujju, said they had been undertaking an electricity upgrade programme for Mbale City to solve the problem.

 “When a city status was accorded to Mbale, a lot of development came in. We had to upgrade and improve the lines so that we are able to serve the customers in that area,” Mr Kaujju said, adding that the project that started about five months ago ended last week.

  According to him, they are currently inspecting all power lines to see if all work was done properly. “For now, we don’t expect any shut down. In case anybody experiences challenges of power, it should be a localised problem,” he said.