Government has launched a drive to distribute at least one million Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders and burners to Ugandans in a bid to use of clean energy starting this month.
To achieve this, government has partnered with fuel companies including Shell, TotalEnergies and Stabex to provide the gas cylinders.
Speaking during the launch, Energy Minister, Ruth Nankabirwa said that over the years there has been heavy reliance on biomass including firewood and charcoal as the primary cooking energy which has eroded the country’s national tree cover with adverse effects on the environment and the health of the population.
She noted that whereas government through the third National Development Plan (NDPIII) emphasizes the need for increased uptake of cooking gas at the household level as part of efforts to improve the quality of life, this has not been possible due to the cost of the gas cylinders.
“We know the upfront payment for these cylinders has been an uphill task for many families. In a bid to support the development and use of LPG as an efficient and clean cooking technology and a viable alternative for a sustainable environment, the ministry(of energy) has commenced the distribution of LPG starter kits aimed at scaling up the usage of cooking gas in households. This intervention targets LPG cooking energy to grow from the current 0.8 per cent to 20 per cent of Ugandan households by the year 2030,”Nankabirwa said on Tuesday.
She revealed that to achieve this goal, government will starting this month distribute one million LPG starter kits to Ugandans for free comprising locally manufactured 13kg cylinders with accessories and a cook stove.
“We know that the upfront payment for the Starter Kit has been a bottleneck for many families to convert from using biomass to LPG, yet it is clean, saves time and is relatively healthier. These Kits will be given freely to deserving households not using LPG who will be required to pay for the gas,”Nankabirwa said.
She said the kits will be distributed on behalf of the Ministry of Energy by Vivo Energy Uganda, TotalEnergies Marketing Uganda Limited and Stabex International Uganda Ltd, starting July, 12, 2022.
According to the Energy Minister, during this campaign, the ministry shall also address the current awareness gaps, transportation and storage aimed at improving the usage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas in a bid to make it popular.
Nankabirwa said in the financial year 2020/2021, government introduced reforms in which it exempted LPG gas from Value Added Tax to make it affordable.
“We continue to encourage Ugandan households to embrace the usage of LPG, which is clean and accessible. LPG has a higher heating value; it does not contain Sulphur, burns a lot cleaner than other energy resources, and burns consistently, making it more reliable than other forms of energy. Increased usage of LPG will address the problem of continued dependence on biomass, resulting in a massive reduction of plant cover, which is currently manifested through prolonged dry spells that have recently been experienced,”Nankabirwa urged.
What will be the considerations when distributing these cylinders and who are the qualified one to get them and how.
Gov’t resources always end up in the hands of well off homes, friends and relatives to the suppliers.
Nabbanja’s money, tvs and radios failed. I hope to update you guys when I see someone in my place with it or when I get one.