Darkness force Kabale leadership to tadoba meetings

Authorities in Kabale Municipality have raised concern over continuous darkness in the western town and urged the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to sorts its bills with power distributors Umeme.

For the last one month, Kabale town has been faced with a challenge of darkness with the entire stretch from Kigongi to Rwakaraba affected.

While many towns across the country have adopted solar energy for streetlighting, Kabale was forced to abandon the clean energy for hydro power due to the weather in the district.

During daytime, Kabale is a beauty with adulating terracing in the hills accentuating its panorama. But it’s a different at night due to darkness, one only notices car flashlights instead of streetlights.

Mayor Emmanuel Byamugisha Sentaro noted that the original importance of putting streetlights was to check insecurity.

He said darkness was inviting criminality across the swathes in which over 100 poles of streetights is a responsibility of UNRA.

Byamugisha called upon UNRA and central government to look into paying off the payments such that Kabale people can have a better service in terms of security.

“Now that the lights are off there is increased cases of crime since wrong doers take advantage of darkness. I think UNRA and central government can manage to settle the bills so that Kabale peoples can gain befit," the mayor said.

John Bosco Kwasibwe , the councillor LC3 central ward, said as leaders they are worried due to continuous darkness around town.

However, Mr Peter Kawujju, the Umeme publicist, told Nile Post by phone that they had not disconnected streetlights in Kabale.

He said Umeme was investigating why they are off and would rectify the problem.

Meanwhile, Mr Allan Ssempebwa, the spokesperson for roads authority, acknowledged that they are experiencing a technical challenge on the streetlighting.

He said only about 10 percent of the streetlights in Kabale town are off, adding that UNRA has assessed and identified the problems and would rectify it soon.

Mr Ssempebwa said they were challenged by lack of funding but that they were hopeful of securing finances at the end of the month so that the nonfunctional set can be repaired.

“We are experiencing a technical challenge in the lights. We hope that at the end of this month the finances are available so that the nonfunctional lights are worked on," Ssempebwa said.