Uganda Investment Authority, director small and medium enterprises division, Basil Ajer.

The Director UIA in charge of small land Medium Enterprises Division, Basil Ajar, told the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Tourism and Industry chaired by the Bulamogi MP, Keneth Lubogo, which investors are fighting each other in courts over land which was caused by the Uganda land commission when it gave the same piece of land to more than one investor.

Basil Ajar also disclosed that the development of Namanve Industrial park is behind schedule over inadequate funding for infrastructure development in this desired park.

A section of the Namanve Inustrial Park.

He says that the Uganda Investment Authority requires 500 billion shillings for Namanve Industrial park infrastructure development to provide water and sewerage, electricity, roads and telecommunication facilities but it’s given only 5 billion shillings per financial year which cannot push the Authority fast so as it’s utilized to the maximum by the investors.

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Power lines

Legislators from Bugishu region have asked Umeme to lower the cost of electricity to make it affordable, to the ordinary Ugandans. The lawmakers made the appeal  during a consultative meeting with Umeme officials on how they can assist the company on reducing power theft in the region.

According to Umeme Bugishu regional manager Trevol Higenyi says that the 5 districts of Bugishu top others in the country in power theft. However one of the members from Manjiya county Nambeshe Johnbaptist says that unless the tariffs are reduced and the reconnection fees are lowered illegal connections will continue. UMEME loses more than 10mlllion dollars  every year in power theft and about 52 people die as a result of power theft every year in this region.

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Photo credit: snipview.com

The National Forestry Authority (NFA) and the Ministry of water and Environment calls on members of parliament to advocate for the climate change fund. This comes as environmentalists and youth were discussing promotion of tree planting with members of parliament at parliament. The head of climate change in the ministry of water and Environment Chebet Maikut says that creating the climate change fund will add more resources to climate financing from government and development partners. Chebet also said that parliament should consider reducing the cost of electricity and biogas to reduce pressure on the forests for charcoal burning.

The Director corporate Affairs at the National Forestry Authority Paul Buyerah Musamali asked members of parliament and other people with some income to stop using charcoal to deny charcoal dealers market and think about the alternative methods of cooking.

The member of parliament for Gulu municipality says that other areas should develop a culture of Baganda  where by  some species  of trees and animals are taken as totems and guarded jealously which is one way of protecting the environment from degradation. The woman member of parliament for Masaka district Babirye Kabanda says that  its time for the country to blacklist the persons who are highly involved in the degradation of environment through cutting trees for charcoal  burning as an action to stop unnecessary cut of trees.

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A source on FDC National Executive Committee has told us that UMEME has disconnected them over a debt of 600,000 Uganda shillings while NWSC cut off the service over a debt of only 200,000 shillings.

We are told that FDC officials abused the UMEME and NWSC staffs of being used by the government to disconnect them because the workers of these different companies arrived at the same time.

However we have heard that the FDC leaders have resolved to clear all their water and electricity arrears by tomorrow because today their accountant was out of office.

Ultimate Media

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The scribes want to storm UMEME offices demanding an explanation for the persistent loading shedding. The scribes through their head, Aliga Issa say they work 24 hours a day but the increased load shedding in Masaka has hampered their operations.

Aliga has told our informers that Masaka town has been in darkness for the last two weeks and that it is increasingly difficult for them to file stories on time due to shortage of power in the town.

Efforts to get a comment from UMEME’s boss in charge of Masaka branch, Kivebulaaya Kirunda Magoola were futile. But other media houses last week quoted him as saying that UMEME was experiencing technical problems which he promised would be resolved soon.

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The hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr. Martin Okmal says that the hospital has failed to handle complicated cases like operating on delivering women due to lack of electricity in the hospital.

He says that they recently closed the hospital due other problems among others the scarcity of water but after rectifying the problem electricity also went off.

Dr. Okmal has asked UMEME to connect the hospital to the State House power line, which he says rarely goes off.

He notes that the hospital runs on a very meagre budget that cannot sustain buying fuel for the generator daily.

Ultimate Media

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The deceased identified as 9-year old Kevin Juuko was a pupil at Buyinji Primary School.

The Officer in Charge of the Kalisizo Police Station David Karugaba, says the deceased stepped on a bare electricity wire as he tried to pick an avocado.

The wire was reportedly hanging near an avocado tree on the road side.

The residents accused UMEME officials in the area of leaving the wires hanging despite several pleas.

The body of the deceased has been taken to Kalisizo hospital for postmortem tests as investigations into the matter continue.

Ultimate Media

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The state minister of energy Simon D’Ujanga says it is the drought that has affected the production of the hydro power generation.

D’ujanga says the country’s current power demand is about 450 mega watts yet the machines at Kiira and Nalubaale can generate only 350 MW leaving a deficit of 100 mw.

Media reports indicated that since 2006 to date, the Government has paid over US$ 470 million in power subsidies yet there has been a persistent the increase in tariffs.

The minister says consumers will continue to experience load shedding because the drought will take about five to six months.

Meanwhile, the managing director of Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd, Erias Kiyemba appeals to the public to assist the government and report those who engage in power theft as one of the ways to reduce power loses.

Ultimate Media

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