The Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga has called for the immediate signing of the Electricity Bill 2022 by the President to address the challenges in the sector.
Mpuuga made his humble plea on Wednesday while reacting to the policy report by the committee on energy and mineral development where he said that funding for electricity is still a very big challenge yet the Bill waiting to be assented by the President has amendments that will solve challenges like funding electricity connections.
“Now that we passed the Electricity bill last month, I thought the committee would pick some of the issues and demand that it’s assented to because lamentations on funding of electricity especially the Electricity Connections Policy (ECP) can only be addressed if it’s passed.”
Mpuuga added that in the bill waiting to be signed, there is a provision for forming an Energy Fund whose sources are very clear and money is there.
“I thought the committee would pick this issue and mention it in their report of how ECP is going to be funded in order to avoid having electricity pole idle and without wires yet money is there. I thought they would pick it and implementation start immediately because this money is available under the Energy Development fund that is provided in the law; therefore, we would demand that the law be assented to solve these challenges.”
The Nyendo-Mukungwe legislator also noted that since dimed energy is not used, the Shs113bn must be shifted to the ECP, because this money is available for energy that is not consumed.
The Speaker of Parliament Anit Among also sided with Mpuuga and called for a need to focus on issues of rural electricity, reduced tariffs, the safety of the transformers as passed in the bill, and electricity funds to ensure that every place has power, forest restoration, and rural water provisions.
“I really lobbied for power; I am about to start begging. And I’m begging please connect power in my village and other areas that have requested because we have money for it.”
Santa Olum the Woman MP of Oyam asked the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Ruth Nankabirwa to prioritize Rural electrification because it will modernize and improve people’s livelihoods thus enabling the growth of factories, schools and hospitals.
However, Nankabirwa noted that in order to increase the rate of electrification or connection in the country, her ministry has come up with a Credit Connection Facility with African Development Bank (ADB) where local people will pay Shs200,000 then the Bank pays Shs270000. And they will pay it in the period of two to three years.
She also promised that the bill will soon be signed.
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