MUBENDE: Dozens of Kangulumira Ward, South Division Mubende Municipality residents took to the streets of Kirungi-road on Thursday in a peaceful protest against power supply outages affecting businesses and daily life across the Division.
With play cards, wearing sackcloth, and spilling milk in the street as one of the signs of damage demonstrators staged a protest through Kangulumira, calling on the leaders and UMEME to stabilise the power supply.
Power supply is fair in other parts of the district but the South Division has been living in the dark for about two weeks.
“Twagala Masanyalaze Kangulumira” translates as “We need electricity in Kangulumira,” residents protest.
“These unannounced power outages are killing our people’s business. We need stable electricity to thrive,” South Division mayor hopeful Daniel Lubega also known as Dj Sadam told Mubende Post.
Shop owner, Nana (not real name) was visibly distressed as she revealed how the power outages affected her six-month-old business.
“No light, no customers. How are we supposed to make a living?” he asked, holding a placard that read: “Stop the blackouts, save our jobs.”
“I’m not working anymore. My capital invested in things I put in my Fridge was lost due to lack of electricity in the area,” she added.
Protesters blame the power cuts on the UMEME Mubende due to their failure to stabilize electricity.
However, this is not the first time the South Division has been hit by power outages which had recently become a problem that prompted the leader of Kunga Mubende Kyeyune Pafuladito to give UMEME aultnetum to resolve the issue or else demonstrate.
Despite being one of the central business districts that should pursue electrification aggressively and in huge volts, Mubende suffers from chronic power outages, shortages, and struggles to expand capacity to meet growing demand.
