Arua and Nebbi districts are in the darkness again as the West Nile Rural Electrification Company (WENRECO) overhauls its plant.
WENRECO announced last Saturday that it would reduce the amount of time it supplies electricity from its power generation plant from 18 to ten. However the power generation has ground to a virtual halt.
Samson Atayo, a trader in Arua, says the electricity has been switched off since Saturday. He says his metal fabrication workshop has been forced to close temporarily for fear of more losses from the blackout.
Atayo accuses WENRECO and its manager Fabian Ahaisibwe of lying to the people of Arua by disconnecting them from electricity for longer than expected.
//Cue in: iAhaisibwe is not #i
Cue out: i... aiming at money.i //
Fabian Ahaisibwe, the WENRECO regional manager, says his company did not honor its promise because the process of installing two standby generators to back up the WENRECO plant took longer than expected. The standby diesel generators are located at Bibia Quarters in Arua town.
Ahaisibwe says that the generators will be tested this evening with the goal of having the up and running tomorrow. He says they will enable major maintenance at the main plant at Ewuata to proceed as expected.
WENRECO is a subsidiary of Industrial Promotion Services owned by the Aga Khan Foundation. It has a 20-year concession from the government to generate and supply electricity in the West Nile.
