Speaker Oboth summons Energy minister over delayed disbursement of rural electricity funds

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Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth has summoned the Energy minister over delayed disbursement of  Electricity Access Scale-up Project (EASP).

He issued the order while chairing plenary on Tuesday, November 10, during debate on a report the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources chaired by Dan Kimosho (Kazo County, NRM).

The report tabled in Parliament last week, among different infrastructure issues, highlighted frequent power backouts in the country.

“Honorable minister (Sidronius Okasai), tell us the performance of the World Bank loan of the Electricity Access Scale-up Project (EASP). Where the Government of Uganda in five years has got 25% disbursement and it is expiring soon. I have summoned you with them,” Oboth ordered.

About the project

The EASP project, which took effect in July 2023, is funded by the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA), which committed $608 million (Sh2.601 trillion).

Government and the private sector are also expected to contribute $10 million (Sh42.78 billion) and $20 million (Sh85.57 billion), respectively.

As per official reports, total funding, $190 million (Sh813.88 billion), has reportedly been disbursed, while $119 million (Sh509.12 billion) has been utilized.

Key components of the project include expanding the electricity grid and increasing last-mile connections.

MPs, Nyamutoro interface

During the recent (November 03) interface between the National Economy committee chaired by Jane Avur Pachuto (Pakwach Woman MP, NRM) and state minister for minerals Phiona Nyamutoro, lawmakers including Cohen Amanya (Igara West, NRM) and Mary Paula Turyahikayo (Rukungiri District Woman MP, NRM) learnt that whereas the project had targeted 1,073,500 new connections, only 290,000 had been achieved.

Of these, a total of 155,000 connections were made before UMEME exited the electricity distribution business.

“I would also like to see which particular districts and how many people have been connected and the number of kilometers of grid extension has been done in those respective districts. Because in Rukungiri district, which I represent, there is hardly anything on the ground honorable minister,” Turyahikayo stated

“In my constituency, I have never seen anyone connecting, including the contractors. We don’t know where they have been connecting and that is why we are insisting that give us this information. Such that we are able to internalize because if the total disbursement and absorption is $190 million and $119 million, we would be eager to know where this money was spent," he added.

Taking cognizance of the aforementioned concerns, National Committee chairperson Pachuto ordered Government within a space of three days to submit a detailed breakdown of beneficiaries of the Electricity Access Scale-up Project (EASP).

“Let’s have by it (report) by Friday (November 6). Out of the 290,000 connections we want to know, by region, by district and the next interventions that the ministry is going to do, given that this project ends next year,” Pachuto ruled.