Radio equipment worth 91 million shillings has been destroyed after lightning struck Radio Palwak, a community radio located in Rackoko, Pader district.
The strike that occurred last Friday night destroyed four computers, two air conditioners, a studio broadcasting mixer, two printers, and office furniture among others.
The lighting strike also destroyed the entire studio building leaving the radio transmission off air for 3 days. However, on Monday this week the radio resumed transmission in a temporary building using old equipment.
Charles Odongkara Feslad says both the studio building and the transmission mast have lightning arrestors and wonders how the strike could have occurred with all the facilities in place.
//Cue in: “We have the lighting conductor…
Cue out: …here to cost for the building.”//
Odongkara says the radio uses some of the obsolete equipments they had written off for temporary transmission. He however says they are expecting more equipment to arrive today and by tomorrow, installation will be done to improve the quality of the transmission signal.
This is not the first time lightning has struck a radio station in the region. Last year lighting also struck the mast of Pol FM in Kitgum rendering the station non operational for over a week.
The latest occurrence is likely to create fear among other radio stations that operate in the area.
