- UMEME is unable to connect consumers
- Stuck with 250,000 free connection applications
- Says funding, a challenge
Ugandan electricity distributor UMEME has stated that it is unable to connect at least 250,000 consumers to the electricity supply due to funding challenges. The Ugandan government, in 2018, began implementing the Electricity Connections Policy (ECP) aimed at improving electricity access in the country through free electricity connections.
The Managing Director UMEME, Mr Selestino Babungi, stated the company is facing funding challenges despite government intervention. “On free connections, it is still a big challenge. We had a backlog of 250,000 applicants who had applied for the free connections and paid the Shs20,000, but we experienced limited funding from government,” Babungi said.
”…we are currently receiving on average 1,000 applications every day, and that makes the materials we received just a drop in the ocean to clear the 250,000 applications that are pending,” he added.
Mr Babungi, however, pleaded with consumers for patience and asked them to shun any attempt at illegally connecting to the distribution network. “We see the challenge underlying this is that people are ending up going to connect themselves on the grid leading to safety incidences and power theft. But we are engaging the Natural Resources Committee (NRC) next week to ensure that we clear these connections.” Babungi said.
Uganda hopes to connect 300,000 consumers annually under the ECP while subsidising connections for consumers. However, the 10-year project spearheaded by the Rural Electrification Agency had experienced several challenges, including the failure of donors and the Ugandan government to commit financially to the project.