news 31 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Kabale Communities in Darkness Despite Nearby Power Plant
Nine years after the Muvumbe Hydropower Station began supplying electricity to Uganda's national grid, surrounding communities in Kabale District remain without power, hindering local development and value addition for agricultural products. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/nine-years-after-launch-kabale-dam-yet-to-electrify-surrounding-communities-5480452
Residents of Maziba Sub-county in Kabale District are expressing deep frustration over the prolonged lack of electricity nine years after the Muvumbe Hydropower Station commenced operations. The 6.5-megawatt facility, which started generating power for the national grid in March 2017, has yet to provide electricity to the very communities that host it.
Local leaders, including Maziba Sub-county chairperson Onesmus Mutungye, describe the situation as “embarrassing.” They highlight that the absence of electricity is preventing the development of local cottage industries and value addition for agricultural produce like coffee, bananas, and pineapples, leaving farmers vulnerable to exploitation by middlemen and contributing to youth unemployment.
Two government-funded agro-processing projects, a coffee factory and a pineapple processing plant, remain idle due to a lack of electricity connection. This situation is particularly concerning given Maziba Sub-county’s significant agricultural output.
Officials from the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) clarified that the Muvumbe hydropower project was developed by an Independent Power Producer (IPP), whose mandate was solely to generate electricity for the national grid. They advised residents to lobby their political leaders and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to secure funding and infrastructure for rural electrification.
Ndorwa East Member of Parliament Protazy Begumisa acknowledged the problem, pledging to engage the government, particularly the Office of the Prime Minister, for support. He also committed to using personal resources to extend electricity to some villages, emphasizing a focus on tangible work over mere talk.
The Muvumbe Hydropower Station, licensed in 2014, continues to contribute to the national power supply, but its failure to benefit host communities has stalled local economic progress in this key agricultural region.