The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has promised that by the end of this year, Rukiga County in Kabale district will be connected to the national electricity grid.
The promise was made by the State Minister for Energy Simon D'Ujanga who visited Kabale on Tuesday. He said the power lines would be extended from Kabale Municipality to the outlying areas of Kamwezi, Rwamucucu, Mparo, Kitanga and Kashambya.
D'Ujanga said the entire project would cost 2.1 billion shillings. He said the money would come from a 10 billion-shilling grant from the Norwegian government.
The Kabale electrification project is expected to start in June.
The State Minister was accompanied to Rukiga County by the Kabale Resident District Commissioner, Cox Nyakairu. Nyakairu said government was committed to provide electricity and to reduce poverty in the area.
The announcement of the electrification of the country was made during campaigns for the Rukiga parliamentary by-elections. Due to the timing of the news, many people in the crowd could be heard loudly complaining that it was another election promise that would never come to pass. They asked the MP to explain why the electrification project had taken so long to reach their area.
The questions, most of them not personally directed to the minister, went unanswered.
