Senior Reporter
For nearly a month, the town of Kabale has been plunged into darkness due to malfunctioning street lights, causing anxiety among residents about potential theft and robbery.
Installed along the Mbarara – Kabale – Kisoro highway in February 2016 by Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) under contract with the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), these lights were originally supplied by the Kiboko Group of Companies. Despite being guaranteed for two years, they began showing signs of disrepair after just 11 months. Efforts to switch them from solar to Umeme electricity have been hampered by the challenging climatic conditions of Kabale district, rendering the majority of them inoperative.
While Kabale exudes charm during the day, the nighttime paints a different picture, with only sporadic car headlights piercing the darkness. Emmanuel Byamugisha Sentaro emphasizes that the main aim of installing these lights was to enhance security, yet over 100 nonfunctional street lights under UNRA’s oversight contradict that purpose.
Byamugisha highlights the challenges encountered since transitioning to Umeme electricity, including frequent disconnections. He urges both the Uganda Roads Authority and the central government to address outstanding payments and improve security services for Kabale’s residents.
However, Peter Kaujju, Umeme’s Head of Communications, reassures that they are actively investigating the underlying issues. He clarifies that Umeme did not disconnect the street lights and assures that their teams are working diligently to resolve the situation.
Allan Ssempebwa, the PRO of the Uganda Roads Authority, acknowledges the technical difficulties with the street lights, confirming that about 10% of them are currently inactive in Kabale town. He assures that the assessment process is underway, with issues identified, and they are awaiting funds to commence repairs. Ssempebwa expresses optimism that finances will be secured by the end of the month to effectively address the nonfunctional street lights.
