ABBEY KIBIRIGE SEMUWEMBA: Why is electricity so expensive in Uganda? 

I applied for Umeme power before lockdown and was given six account numbers for different Yaka meters. The Inspection had been done. The guy who helped us charged me shs.700, 000 for his services. I waited for a long time and there was nothing happening.

Then, some guy I don’t know, but claimed to be a UMEME field engineer, called me directly – I don’t know how he got my number. He wanted to help speed up the process for us. He demanded for shs.700, 000, too. So, feeling as if I had no recourse, I grit my teeth and hastily sent him money on his phone. Few hours later, he called to say that he was on his way to the site but had got an accident. So, he demanded for a quick 200,000 to settle with the guy whose car he had had run into. That’s when I realised that I was being conned, and told him to ‘fuck off’. Interestingly, he replied with a message to my site manager, telling her that your boss had wizened up – we thought we could make more money from him. So, we continued being in darkness, and it’s frustrating.

Recently, we visited UMEME offices, and we found out that we are required to pay shs. 730,000 for each Yaka meter in order to be connected. Apparently, the inspection has to be done again, yet they have all the details. They said that what we, initially, paid for, is a government scheme that hasn’t been executed yet.

The 730,000 is only for those who don’t need a pole. If your connection requires 1 or 2 poles or more, the price goes up. Each pole is at shs.2.7m, Plus 41,300 for inspection. Prices are inclusive of VAT.

It doesn’t make sense for one to pay 730,000 for yaka meters for many houses. It is probably okay if you are buying one meter. Imagine someone who has rentals that bring in a mere 150k per month but requires 730,000 for connecting Yaka. Electricity shouldn’t be expensive in Uganda yet we have our own dams now.

I wish to know what the government is exactly doing to help people investing in estate, especially outside urban centres. Why is the Yaka process so expensive? You charge people rental tax on top of everything else, and I think this is crazy. It’s like you are discouraging people from constructing houses for Ugandans, yet it’s something very necessary.

Honest to God, I find social media tax and property taxes so unnecessary at this point, because they are killing something bigger than taxation, and that is: development of humans and communities. The introduction of taxes on internet use has slowed down internet usage in Uganda, and this has slowed down the creation of online businesses, yet this is the future now, especially after Covid-19.

Property taxes, on the other hand, have slowed down development of descent housing in the country. Uganda has a population of over 40 million people, and the numbers of houses available aren’t enough for the people. This does raise in my mind the interesting question: How is a society to be measured? By the wealth of its most powerful? Or by the welfare of its least powerful? Depends on whether you believe in rugged individualism or pulling together as a team. We can transcend the most bestial, self-centred individualistic aspects of ourselves and learn to scratch each other’s’ backs, making for a healthier society over all. The rich Ugandans, such as Sudhir, pay a whale of a lot of taxes, but I’m prety sure they really don’t mind most of the time because they are not opposed to helping those who are less intelligent and less lucky than they are, though I know that most of the taxes go into stuff we could do without.

If the government insists on the above taxes, they should make them so small and affordable, just to build the idea of taxation among the population. Our MPs should look into this urgently, though; overall, they, too, have been disappointing so far — I have a pretty strong opinion on that topic. But I hope my tone hasn’t come across as too strident. It’s hard for me to judge, in writing. Thanks for reading my vent!