Dr. Eng. Harrison Mutikanga’s election comes at a critical juncture, as dam development in the country and across Africa accelerates to meet growing demands for hydropower, irrigation, flood control, and water supply Chengdu, China | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s Dr. Harrison Mutikanga is the new Vice President of the International …
Read More »Karamoja leaders demand desilting of dams
Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Leaders in the Karamoja sub-region have demanded the Ministry of Water to desilt the dams to increase storage during this rainy season. The multi-billion water projects such as Kobebe in Moroto, Arechek in Napak, Longoromit in Kaabong, Kaomeri in Abim, and Kailong in Kotido which …
Read More »Uganda government is back to managing the energy sector
The government’s decision to take over Nalubaale and Kira hydropower dams comes barely a year following a similar step on Namanve Thermal Power Plant. Kampala, Uganda | KHISA ISAAC | Ugandan government has repossessed assets of the country’s two oldest hydropower dams Nalubaale and Kira downstream of R. Nile in Jinja …
Read More »Lighting up the Great Lakes
River Nile countries push for an interconnected power grid SPECIAL FEATURE | ESPOIR IRADUKUNDA & RONALD MUSOKE | It is 9am in downtown Bujumbura— Burundi’s commercial city, and the alleys are already crowded with buyers and sellers haggling noisily over prices of merchandise. They must shout to be heard because …
Read More »MPs defer UGX 990 Bn loan for irrigation, enterprise development
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliament has delayed the approval of funding amounting to 990 billion Shillings to finance the construction of irrigation schemes, drainage channels and dams as part of a new climate-resilient irrigation project. The project is expected to benefit 63,200 smallholder farmers in Isingiro, Kanungu, Lamwo, Lira, …
Read More »Country suffers nationwide power blackout again
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda suffered a nationwide blackout on Saturday, the second in less than a month. Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited, which is responsible for bulk purchase and transmission of power countrywide, said “We have lost transmission across the nation which has caused a nationwide blackout, please …
Read More »Gov’t going ahead with feasibility study on Uhuru Falls
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of State for Energy, Eng. Simon D’Ujanga says that government will consider conducting the feasibility study on Uhuru Hydro-power project. D’Ujanga made the statement on Tuesday when he appeared before the Natural Resources committee that is currently inquiring into the construction of …
Read More »At least 27 dead as Kenya dam bursts after torrential rains
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | At least 27 people died after a dam burst in southern Kenya, sweeping away their homes while many of them were asleep, police said Thursday. After a severe drought, weeks of torrential rains in Kenya have led to flooding and mudslides that have left 159 …
Read More »The power dams puzzle
How do we ensure that new dams do not add risk to power supplies down the line? Kampala, Uganda | DECLAN CONWAY | In the 1980s and 1990s parts of Africa saw a surge in dam building for energy production. After a brief hiatus, there has been renewed interest. Many new …
Read More »Bujagali sale goes bad
Bujagali sale goes bad: President Yoweri Museveni’s push to cut the cost of power from the 250 MW Bujagali dam has put him at the centre of a fight with investors and technocrats at the Energy Ministry over the sale of a stake in the dam project writes Haggai Matsiko …
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