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Traffic paralysed as residents protest over power outage
Soldiers engaged in running battle with residents of Bamunanika village, Mityana Municipality who blocked the Mityana-Mubende highway over persistent power outage in the area . PHOTOS JESSICA
NABUKENYA
MITYANA. Traffic along Mityana -Mubende highway was on Wednesday paralysed for several hours as residents of Bamunanika Village blocked the road in protest over what they said persistent power outage in the area.
The angry residents put barricades in the road blocking traffic for close to three hours which prompted a joint force of army and police to disperse the rowdy demonstrators.
Residents said they have spent three weeks without power which has paralyzed businesses and occasioned losses.
“If it is the transformer which has a problem let those responsible replace it but our businesses are collapsing due to lack of unreliable power,” Mr Samson Luzige, a proprietor of a maize mill in the area lamented.
Mr Isha Ntumwa, Mityana Resident District Commissioner condemned the act by residents, saying they could have used other channels to have their issue addressed.
“Our people were ill-advised to block the road. Blocking a highway inconveniences many people,” he said.
He however, said he had contacted the distributor Umeme and they promised to swiftly restore power in the area.
When contacted, the Umeme media manager, Mr Stephen Illungole told this reported that the transformer developed fault Tuesday night and not three weeks ago like the protestors claimed.
“It doesn’t take us more than three days to replace a transformer. It’s not true that they have spent three weeks without power. I was informed by the team on ground that power went off last night. And as I speak now, the transformer is being replaced,” Mr Illungole said.
This is not the first time residents are demonstrating over power outage. In March last year, residents also demonstrated over power outage forcing Umeme to restore power that very day.
