A group of non-governmental organisations has threatened to sue the government of Uganda for suspending the free Electricity Connection Policy (ECP).
The Electricity Regulatory Authority is understood to have announced the new approved costs of connection of power for all categories from domestic consumers.
The body said the least cost to get a connection that does not need a pole will be 576,773 shillings, while the one with a pole would cost 1,989,135 shillings.
Consequently, electricity distributor, Umeme, issued a cost list for the domestic consumers, showing it will now charge Shs741,188 for a no-pole connection while a one pole service is between Shs2.3million and Shs2.7m.
The group of NGOs, comprising 22 organisations, faulted the government and ERA for not carrying the public along.
Executive Director at Africa Institute for Energy Governance, Dickens Kamugisha, accused the government of violating the law by interfering with the independence of the regulator.
But State Minister Simon D’Ujanga said the government recognised the fact that the cost of electricity in Uganda was among the highest in Africa, including connection fees and consumer tariffs.
Development Diaries learnt that the tariffs charged by Umeme range between shs751 and shs370 per unit.
The minister said the government had to tackle these concurrently by re-negotiating the cost of the financing for Bujagali Power Dam as well as introducing the free connection policy.
Source: PML Daily
Photo source: Seeingthrough