Friday, 31 March 2017

UMEME loses shillings 800 million in kasese transformer theft.

UMEME
loses shillings 800 million in kasese transformer theft.

By
MORIS MUMBERE,

E-society

KASESE: Power Distribution Company Umeme has for the
last two years lost fifteen transformers to thieves in the western district of
Kasese. The theft worth eight hundred million shillings has left the power
distribution company in a great power supply challenge to over one thousand of
its customers in the district.

Stephen lubega who works as the maintenance engineer
for Umeme Kasese told daily monitor on Monday this week that ten of the
transformers were stolen last year and the other five were stolen early this
year from different distribution points.

“We have lost
at least 15 transformers to thieves whereby ten of them were stolen last year,
five stolen this year, three of them
belonging to local power distributor
kilembe investment limited company in
several distribution points in Kasese district”
lubega Stephen said.

Lubega was speaking to our reporter on the sidelines
of a two day awareness meeting of Kasese district stake holders and business
communities at Verina gardens during organized by Electricity Regulatory
Authority (ERA).

He said the continuous transformer theft has
downplayed Umeme’s efforts to retain sustainable power supply to serve the
people of Kasese and Rwenzori region at large effectively.

Lubega says the company’s efforts to crap a whip on
the thieves have not been supported by community members who are reluctant to
watching over the thieves

In turn, lubega says this have contributed to
frequent power blackouts since the company lack immediate transformers for
replacement.

Patrick Ssebalamu the Umeme manager Kasese confirmed
the rampant theft of transformers in several parts of the district especially
urban areas.

Ssebalamu cited areas of Katadoba church in Kasese
town where a 50Kilo voltage transformer worth 50 million shillings was stolen
last year.

For this year two transformers that were stolen at
spring international hotel of 50KV worth 40 million and Base Camp 100 KV
transformer worth 70 million.

Ssebalamu further noted that several aluminum
conductors have also been stolen thrice in areas of kamaiba, katadoba and in
other new areas of Rungedabara, Hima where Umeme lines are under construction
aluminum conductors have been taken thrice which is affecting the immediate
delivery of to the customers.

Ssebalamu assured the public that the measure to
avoid the theft as the company they will be putting transformers in public
places like centre’s where the community can easily watch at those in the theft
deals.

The Kilembe Investment Manager Mujungu Gideon also
said his company has two transformers which he put at a cost of shillings 39
million.

Aggrey Kapere the railway police post station in
charge told the meeting that as police they are challenged with identifying
transformer thieves since most of them wear company uniforms and sometimes
viewed as company workers.

Kapere added that some of the thieves connive with
power distribution company workers to execute their dubious theft missions.

He called on Umeme to ensure provision of
identification cards whenever their going to the field and endeavor to provide
a list of expelled workers to the public as one sure way of managing power and
transformer thefts in Kasese.

The ERA Principal Communication officer Diana
Nandi-we are aware that power theft and vandalism is on the increase in Uganda
but the government of Uganda is working on the amendment of the electricity act
1999 to provide for strong punitive punishment against power thieves.

She was however uncertain of when the amendment
process is expected to start due to many stakeholders involved in the
electricity sector.