UMEME’s Jinja area manager, Paul Ssempira however says that despite their efforts to sensitize communities on the dangers involved in power thefts, the vice tends to thrive, which has since compromised the power supply chain to the legally connected consumers.
The suspects went on the streets on Friday and Saturday to protest operations against illegal power connections in the areas of Bugembe. They lit old tyres in the middle of the Jinja-Iganga highway, affecting traffic and businesses along the highway.
UMEME’s corporate affairs and regulatory director, Blessing Nshaho says that, much as they have partnered with agencies to ensure that, most of the trading centres have access to power, electric wires are being vandalized, which has since slowed down connections.
Joel Wambedde, a resident of Namulesa cell says that most residents were angered after noticing that some of the masterminds of illegal power connections in their area were the ones leading UMEME operations.
The victims who are residents of Bugodo village in Kapyanga Sub County in Bugiri district are reported to have come into contact with power transmission lines from loose electricity poles which had fallen in their garden.
Umeme is expected to start evacuation of power from Karuma hydropower plant and needs to continue investing in the distribution network, to not only improve supply but to boost demand too.
The vendors staged demos at 3 points in the market, burning tyres in the middle of the road and blocking vehicles that tend to opt for the route as a way of beating the traffic on the Kampala- Jinja highway.
Mubende Chief Administrative Officer, Lillian Nakamatte says much of the medicines and veterinary drugs disbursed by the government for Mubende and Kassanda districts have gone to waste because of lack of power to keep them under refrigeration.
The fire broke out on December 12, 2015, destroying the factory premises in Kasese. But according to company managers, a report by police in the aftermath attributed the fire to a short circuit resulting from contact between the power line and the metal roof.
One of the eyewitnesses Faizal Kigenyi says the workers had switched off the power supply before they started working on the faulty transformer. However, it is unclear how supply was reconnected at a time when the workers were still fixing the cables. They both died instantly.
The truck registration number UAE 765F crashed into the transformer in front of Mawanda Road Police Station after failing to ascend Upper Mawanda hill road.
The blackout started just moments before the address which was earlier on planned to start at midday. According to the Umeme Spokesperson, Stephen Illungole, there was a problem at the Owen Falls Dam, where the water hyacinth reportedly blocked the turbines.Illungole says that this could partly be related to the overflow from the lake.
The two were riding to Amber coat food market when they were killed by a loose electric cable. Edisa Nabukenya, who survived with serious injuries, says she saw the wire drop on the motorcycle, which was approximately one meter ahead of her.
Muhamad Katimbo, a resident from Bugungu LC I notes that they complained to Umeme about the destruction of their property but to date nothing has been done. According to Katimbo, they will not allow the power company to transmit power through their area for breaching the agreement they had with them.
Bernard Byaruhanaga, a local businessman says several businesses have been struggling due to lack of power and slow response from the concerned authorities.
Bigodi Town Council hasn’t had power supply for about a week, according to the power consumers. Benard Bangirana, a businessman says the power outage has a taken a huge toll on his business.
Residents who were seated outside their houses at the time of the incident say Nakabugo was washing clothes when electric wires fell on her before she died instantly.
The Isuzu truck registration number UAN 656X was torched by angry residents after knocking the riders of Bajaj motorcycles registration numbers UEN 625K and UDM 282T and injuring them seriously. According to police, residents ganged up and torched the vehicle using grass and firewood.
Tom Awuzu, the Umeme Gulu Manager says that vandalism and theft of power facilities is the major challenge causing continued power blackouts in Acholi and partly Lango sub-regions.
