West Nile MPs, Govt Chief Whip Clash over electricity in the Region.
By Adiga Julius
MPs from Westnile sub region have tasked government to connect the region to national power grid if development is to take place in the region.
This followed remarks from the Government Chief Whip Hon Thomas Tayebwa who said there was surplus of power in Westnile region, a comment the MPs did not receive well.
Ayivu East county MP, Geoffrey Feta, put the Chief whip on point of order claiming he was telling lie that the region is being served adequately when actually West Nile has suffered consistent power shortages all the years.
Hon Tayebwa was responding to a matter raised by Aringa County MP Hon Braham Ezama Siraji who complained that the region has suffered economically due to inadequate power supply to most areas. He said that Westnile is disadvantaged to the extent that industrialization has not been possible leading to high unemployment levels.
Hon Tayebwa had stated that there is a surplus of 3 Megawatts of power in Westnile after government installed thermal generators which were transferred from Tororo Power Plant.
He said Westnile is being connected to the national grid adding that the only issue has been access to right of way for construction of transmission lines.
Hon Feta objected querying the Government putting Chief whip on order for telling a lie to Parliament that Westnile is being served adequately yet its not the case.
He said the 2.9 Megawatts supplied by (WENRECo) to Westnile and 4 Megawatts supplied by( Electromax)is inadequate.
He said Westnile has suffered consistently for many years because of inadequate supply of power.
Koboko county MP and former minister of internal affairs James Baba said the issue of electricity in Westnile is important and it is not fair for the government Chief Whip to tell lies about it.
Arua City Central Division MP Jackson Atima said that the power situation in westnile is pathetic and a serious matter that everybody in Westnile is agitated.
” Right Hon Speaker, as I talk now, work has stalled at Oloyo power plant which was expected to transmit power from Karuma to Westnile have stopped and there is no power in the region. (WENRECo) has not produced power” Hon Atima explained.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Anita Among, directed the Chief Whip to prepare and table a document with figures to disprove the MPs argument.
“I take your guidance Hon Speaker, but what I was concluding with is that transmission lines connecting Westnile to the national grid was funded by Parliament amounting to 110 Million Dollars, and is being constructed and by the end of this year Westnile will be connected to the national grid” Hon Tayebwa explained.
