Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, has inaugurated power lines in the Yumbe district sub-counties of Romogi and Arafa. The powered sub-counties are among the many rural villages in the West Nile area that have recently been connected to the national grid as part of the Ministry’s Rural Electrification Programme. The campaign has meant that over 1,000 citizens have free access to power.
With funding from EXIM Bank, at least 684.5km of power line distribution and 111 transformers were installed. The project will see at least 4,115 homes connected in Adjumani, Moyo (1,067), Koboko (4,006), Yumbe (8,383), Maracha (3,947), Madi-Okollo (2,423), Arua (8,388), Packwach (2,748), Nebbi (4,484), Zombo (4,206), Terego (3,435), and Obongi (742).
Minister Nankabirwa, upon switching on the power at Twajiji Primary School in Romogi Subcounty, disclosed that the government is committed to extending electricity to every village in Uganda.
“We’ll freely connect 47,944 households near the existing line under the Electricity Access Scale-Up Project (EASP) in the 12 districts of West Nile, but they should not connect themselves,” said the Minister.