Thank you Wanni for bringing this up. I was just sending out on the same.
Last Saturday, we had one of the meetings for the electrification of
communities in Arua. This meeting was for Onzivu community and have been
running every Saturday for the last 8 or so weeks. By end of last year, Rural
Electrification Agency sent a letter to the LC I chairman as a reply to a
letter this chairman sent some 4 years back, I think to WENRECO requesting for
electrification. In that letter, the chairman indicated a certain number of
households to justify the request. WENRECO together with REA carried out two
surveys in Onzivu community before end of last year. In the letter from REA,
there are 158 households who should contribute the UGX 39 million (30%). When
the community meetings started, it was observed that to date, the number of
households has increased 3 or 4 times and all need to be connected to
electricity. In the first meetings, that the stated amount only would connect
158 households was not clearly understood by community
members. It was taken that to connect Onzivu community (from Arua Academy to
the road to NTC Muni opposite white Castle, about 600 or 800 households) the
community needed to raise the 39 million.
In the meeting of last Saturday, we had an in depth understanding from someone
who knows how REA connects communities to electricity. This person advised that
to connect the whole of Onzivu community, REA will need to do another survey.
The first 158 households already surveyed will be connected if they mobilize 39
million shillings (252,000 UGX per household) and notify REA so. Because these
are government procurements that will be done according to the PPDA procedures,
this may take sometime and the households may see electricity before end of
this year, say Oct or Nov. He further advised that the community leaders should
compile the list of all households in the area and formally write to REA
requesting for survey of the other households as well.
It was in this meeting that the community was informed of the application of
WENRECO to increase tariffs. The district leadership (chairman LC V) I am told
is aware of this application. According to the source, there will be a public
hearing about the same in Arua towards the end of the month. I don't know how
much the media houses are doing in mobilizing the people for this public
hearing, which I suggest is something they should do.
My personal take on this is that I do not see the rational for WENRECO to
increase tariffs by 100%. The power supply for now is not a smooth and constant
as was expected with the switching on of Nyagak. WENRECo should tell the public
why they want to increase tariffs by 100%. In simply business, 100% price
increase is not only abnormal but a scheme to cheat consumers. WENRECO might
not have broken even in their operations. One reason is the fact that they have
failed to increase the number of users of their product because of their
prohibitive prices of the electricity poles. This may mean that their
operational costs are higher than their revenue. The way to balance this is not
to increase unit cost but to increase the number of users of their product.
As a community or as individuals, I am told we can react to this application by
posting our views on the ERA website, compile the district to take pro people
stand and say no to the plan and encourage our people to turn up for this
public hearing with one voice of no increase of tariff. Guys with technical
knowledge, please advise.
________________________________
From: Wanni Norman <[email protected]>
To: westnile Friends <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, 9 March 2013, 21:35
Subject: [WestNileNet] Application by WENRECO to increase Tarrifs
Please find a copy of the application letter by WENRECO requesting to increase
Electricity tariff to 600+ per unit. see application request on era website
www.era.or.ug
We have been informed of a project to connect additional users supported 70%
by Rural Electrification Project 30% by the community. Not sure of what
WENRECOs contribution to this proposed is project. The project will connect
something of over 1000 newlines . Should they really increase tariffs ? Any
technical guys out there who can challenge WENRECO with facts?
APPLICATION FOR INCREASE IN ELECTRICITY END USER TARIFF BY WEST NILE RURAL
ELECTRIFICATION COMPANY LIMITED
WENRECO has applied for an increase in the electricity end-user tariff See
Application The application can also be viewed at the LC V chairpersons’
offices of Arua, Nebbi and Zombo between 8:30am and 4:30pm during working
days.Written comments and objections on the application should be
submitted within fifteen (15) days after date of publication to the
following address P.O. Box 10332 Kampala-Uganda or Email; [email protected]
Daet of publication was 4th March 2013
Wanni Norman
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