The government has commenced the free electricity connections policy targeting 1.7 million households across the country.
The five-year electricity project is part of the government’s Rural Electrification Project worth 212 million dollars funded under a credit facility from the EXIM Bank of China. It covers 3,449.1km of Medium Voltage, 7,131.61km of Low Voltage, and the installation of 1,926 distribution transformers in 91 districts.
Launching the free connection supply in Rwampara District on Thursday, the State Minister for Energy and Mineral Development Okasaai Oplot said that the access scale-up free connection project that had earlier been implemented under the Electricity Connection Policy (ECP) was greatly hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic that affected the economy.
He said that out of the 1.7 million households, the Ankole Sub-region was allocated 66,000 and Rwampara alone will get 2,000 households.
He added that 66,000 households across the nine districts of Mbarara, Rwampara, Buhweju, Rubirizi, Bushenyi, Sheema, Isingiro, Ntungamo, and Kabale will benefit from the project.
Engineer Julius Azokiire, the Project Manager of Rwampara said that the 118.327km of distribution power lines will have 25 transformers installed in the sub-counties of Bugamba, Mwizi I, Mwizi II, and Ndejia and run through Rwamuhurira, Mparamo, Nyaruhina, and Kaburara among other villages.
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John Namanya, a resident of Ihena Village, Ndeija Sub County expressed excitement and said that he has been waiting for power connection since 2014. He says that it had become overly expensive for him to get connected to power prior because he did not have enough money to facilitate the process.
The electricity connection policy resumed in March 2021 after a three-month suspension that started in December 2020.
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