Businesses on verge of shutdown as irregular power supply takes toll on Arua City

ARUA – Several businesses in Arua City could soon close due to the power crisis that has hit the city for the last two weeks.

The city has had an irregular power supply, with load shedding being the order of the day, hence disrupting the normal running of businesses.

Arua City is one among several other towns in West Nile Sub-region that are grappling with intermittent power supply.

The power problem has forced Geoffrey Mawa, salon operator at Ediofe trading center, to change business. “I stayed for three days without getting any coin from the salon because of power. I decided to move on. I am now riding a friend’s motorcycle to feed my family,” Mawa said.

At Sidoro Hotel, it’s also not business as usual. The hotel proprietor, Mori Samuel, said he is feeling the pinch of the irregular power supply as several hotel services are not running.

He noted: “This week, the absence of power turned away 20 clients who had wanted our accommodation services. Without having an alternative power, my business is completely down.”

Learning facilities are equally affected. At Pride Scholar Vocational Institute, practical lessons have been halted until the power supply normalises. Geoffrey Bakole, the proprietor of the vocational learning centre said the intermittent power supply has delayed students’ learning process as they cannot operate machines.

He said: “We are not operating the electric sowing machines and motors. This means that the learners’ knowledge acquisition is being delayed. The alternative of running a generator is not sustainable as it is expensive.” Bakole urged leaders to find solutions to the power crisis.

Enock Mutina, a power consumer, says the power crisis needs immediate intervention if the new city is to develop.

Meanwhile, Mercy Grace Munduru, a social justice activist, has upon the leaders in West Nile to continue speaking the same language in addressing the power crisis in the region.

She continued: “Parliament’s Natural Resource Committee held two meetings with leaders in West Nile in 2022 and I am sure the report has already been submitted to parliament. We need to keep pressing our leaders.”

However, West Nile Rural Electrification Company Limited [WENRECO] has admitted that the demand for power in the sub-region outstrips the plant’s production capacity.

WENRECO communications officer, Judith Wangoic, attributes the power crisis to the dry season. She says that they are currently producing less than 2.7 of the 3.5 megawatts initially meant to be produced from Nyagak Hydroelectric Power Station.

She added: “The recent connection to the national grid from Kawanda is not helping us at all. With the low capacity, we have no option but to rationalise power supply. During the day, we put residential places off such that businesses in the city get power and at the night, we do the reverse.”

The deputy mayor of Ayivu Division, Arua City, Joseph Feti, has urged the business community to temporarily seek alternative sources of power as government expedites the process to connect the region to the national electricity grid.

He said works at the sub-station at Muni are nearing completion, giving hope for West Nile. ”Government is not sleeping as all is set to sort this problem. It is a matter of time for us to sort out the power issue,” Ayivu said.

Government expects to connect the West Nile Sub-region to the national electricity grid by the end of March 2023. The sub-region will be supplied by the sub-station established at Muni, two kilometres from Arua City.

https://thecooperator.news/west-nile-region-in-dire-need-of-electricity/

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