The Committee demanded of the Ministry to share the road map for the implementation of the 200,000 electricity connections across the country. Statistics from the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) show that as of 2022, only 1.7 million households are connected to the national electricity grid.
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Parliament of the Republic of Uganda
The Budget Committee of Parliament has been scrutinizing the 3.5 trillion Shillings supplementary budget aimed
at financing key infrastructure projects for the Financial Year - FY 2022/2023.
According to the supplementary budget framework paper presented
to the Committee by Henry Musasizi, the Minister of State for Finance, 318 billion
is to finance the Electricity Access Scale-Up Project (EASP) under the Ministry
of Energy and Mineral Development.
The Minister of State for Energy, Sidronious
Okasaai Opolot revealed that out of the money the Ministry is seeking, 128
billion is budgeted to connect 200,000 households across the country in the
current financial year.
“Since July 2023, the EASP has been operational
but requires additional funding to operationalize some of the activities," said Okasaai. "The
Ministry’s supplementary request includes 30 billion to cover startup costs for
Karuma Hydro Power Plant, such as plant insurance, permits, service contracts,
and specialized tools.”
Okaasai told URN in an interview that part of the
Ministry’s supplementary budget, 58 billion Shillings will finance shortfalls
on the contractual obligations for deemed energy, under the Lira-Agago transmission
line for the Achwa-Agago Dam.
The supplementary budget includes 197 billion for
road construction, 47 billion to facilitate the deployment of medical interns
and their allowances, and 37 billion for the ongoing renovation work at Commonwealth
Speke Resort Munyonyo ahead of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Group of
G77 (G77) Summits scheduled for January 2023.
Wilfred Niwagaba, the Ndorwa County East Member
of Parliament warned that the Ministry must deliver on its mandate citing power
unavailability in his constituency yet it is the source of power generation.
Meanwhile, the Budget Committee Chairperson, Dicksons
Kateshumbwa, also the Sheema Municipality legislator expressed concern over
vast sums of money spent on deemed energy and urged the Ministry to use the
supplementary to start using energy efficiently.
The Committee demanded of the Ministry to share the
road map for the implementation of the 200,000 connections across the country. Statistics
from the Electricity Regulatory
Authority (ERA) show that as of 2022, only 1.7 million households are connected to the national electricity grid.
With
funding from the World Bank, the government is implementing a five-year Electricity
Access Scale-up Project to increase access to electricity for households,
refugee and host communities, industrial parks, commercial enterprises, and
public institutions.
The
project is intended to spur socio-economic transformation, in line with
Uganda’s Vision 2040, the National Development Plan (NDP) III, the 2018 – 2027
Electricity Connection Policy (ECP) adopted in January 2018 and to meet the
Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) of achieving universal energy access by
2030.
In
May 2023, Parliament passed the 2023/2024 National Budget which was increased from UGX 48.13 trillion
for FY 2022/23 to UGX 52.7 trillion for FY 2023/24, representing an increase of
9.5% from the previous financial year.
Journalist
Ochola's journalism career begun from Radio King 90.2 FM in Gulu around 2009, and Radio Rupiny 95.7 Fm under Vision Group in 2012. He also reported for Mighty Fire 91.5 Fm, Kitgum in 2015 before joining Wizarts Foundation in 2017.
He has been reporting for Uganda Radio Network (URN) since 2017 before being posted as Bureau Chief Kitgum, and later Gulu between 2018 - 2021. Currently, he reports from Parliament.
