The untapped viability of solar energy in Uganda

In recent months, Uganda has been experiencing sharp increases in fuel and power costs. Demand for energy needs has been on the rise and this has made electricity costs to skyrocket. Matters almost went to the dogs with an acute shortage of fuel, not only with last year’s post-poll crisis in the neighbouring Kenya but also at the beginning of this year.
Despite the prices of crude oil dropping to a record low of US$ 36 per barrel, production and transportation costs have kept the prices high.
However, in the face of such challenges, there’s a gigantic potential of untapped solar energy in Uganda, which most of the Western European countries like Germany and Denmark, have exploited to meet the energy needs of their economies and populations. This solar energy, once tapped and put into effective use in Uganda could be a classic blessing, not just in cutting down consumption costs and maintaining a healthy environment, but also in creating wealth through commercial ventures and more jobs.
Solar energy is in its neophyte stage in Uganda. Where it has been proliferated, substantial progress in terms of welfare of the community members who have access to it has been noted as it is making a big difference and gradually transforming lives.
Speaking in a conference at the department of Food Science and Technology in Makerere University on Thursday, Dr. Maegaard Preben, the Director of Folkecenter for renewable energy in Denmark noted that the effective use of solar energy reduces power consumption by 65 percent. He explored the need for developing countries like Uganda to tap the sun as a renewable source of solar energy, which would last for as long as 5 billion years. His assertion cannot be more correct as the experience here in Uganda is a testimony to the benefit of investing in solar energy.
Such renewable energy has tremendously reduced expenses in households where other forms of energy like electricity, and petroleum and wood fuel are expensive, as Santore Alekua, the LC III of Ajia Sub-county in Arua district attested.
“One electricity pole is about Ushs1.5 million and purchasing poles to cover 8km is too much.” He added that the community members, especially in the rural locations of Arua district can’t think of extension lines, leave alone purchasing even one pole. Even people staying in towns are contemplating adopting the use of solar energy as an alternative source of cheaper energy.
The adoption of solar energy especially in rural areas that can’t access electricity is beneficial in more ways than one. In such areas as Arua, Tororo, Luwero, Mukono and Kampala, it is being used in cell phone charging, charging batteries and cells for radio and torches, lighting up homes and even powering radio and television sets. This is far much cheaper than meeting the increasing costs of electricity and fuel.
Besides, the commercial viability of solar energy is of the essence to such groups as Ajia Trading Centre Community Project, in Arua, which has about 15 members who have solar panels they use for their commercial engagements. The solar panels, donated by (JEEP) Joint Energy and Environment Projects, power the fridge for the community’s health centre. Some members of the community project in Ajia Sub-county now charge phones for the local people at a cost of Ush500.
And unlike in the past when solar energy was alien to this area, “People go to bars and shops that have solar, late into the night,” said Alekua.
The solar energy projects were originally initiated in Arua, Luwero, Kampala and Tororo. The project, initially the brainchild of JEEP, focussed on the environmental sustainability and conservation. However, Bob Kazungu, the Projects Officer of I.T power, Eastern Africa, says they had to add solar energy to their docket when they discovered its unique potential. He acknowledges that energy is increasingly being demanded in all aspects of life. “Demand for renewable energy services is very high, and for solar, it is overwhelming.”
Currently, only about 31% of the Ugandan population has access to electricity, Kazungu observed, adding that the 2001-2010 strategic plan aims at increasing access to electricity to over 400, 000 homes.
Although, certain milestones have been realised in tapping the potential of solar energy, the solar project in Uganda still faces challenges of poor quality appliances and limited accessibility due to the high costs of solar related products.
Moreover, according Kazungu, about 80 percent of solar companies in Uganda are Kampala based. This has made solar products not only unaffordable but also inaccessible. But, government intervention by provision of subsidies to the solar sub-sector in Uganda is yet to be a positive light at the end of the tunnel in accessing cheaper alternative energy.
“Taxes have been removed on some of the appliances as part of the subsidies,” said Mr Paul Mubiru, the Director for Energy and Mineral Development. He admits that though solar is relatively expensive in terms of operational and maintenance mechanisms, at least a hundred and one schools have access to it.
Mr Mubiru also observed that the rural areas are highly sidelined and there needs to be such an alternative energy source, which could shield many a poor household in such areas from expensive electricity. This is likely to be realised by the promise of financing from the World Bank by June this year. With such a possibility, Uganda could be on the road to expanding its solar energy base for a cleaner, healthier environment.
Joshua Masinde

When the day students study on evening programme

THE semester began on a lacklustre note, with students dragging their feet to attend lectures. And, with some temporary changes put into place at the Mass Communication department, like merging of lectures, students on day programme are less upbeat on attending evening lectures.
Until further notice, day students will remain merged with their colleagues in the evening class in such course units as Television Production, Public Affairs Reporting, and Specialised Writing for third years and Introduction to Broadcasting for second years.
Part time instructors won't be paid for teaching the day class, save the evening programme, one of the reasons for the changes.
Dr George W. Lugalambi, head of Mass Communication department told third year students the adjustments have been made necessary due to changes in the staffing policy, which has to do with shortage of instructors and insufficient funding.
In an earlier communication to the Mass Communication staff and students, Dr Lugalambi noted, "This decision has been forced on us by the staffing gaps that the department is experiencing. But, we believe it is better to find a way to continue running these classes under schedules that some may find inconveniencing than to cancel them altogether."
And indeed, inconveniencing have the changes begun to prove especially to most third year day students, who have to religiously attend some lectures that end at 9pm. Where possible, some have decided to avoid taking and registering such course units that have been merged and run late into the night. Others are promising to attend as few evening lectures as possible, since they feel uncomfortable readily adjusting to the improvised schedules, albeit reportedly temporary.
One such student is Diana Nabiruma, who freelances with The Weekly Observer. It would be an uphill task coming from work, tired, straight to the lecture room, unlike the conventional schedule where she could attend her day lectures and go to work where possible.
Others claim the rationale for choosing to study in the day class as from first year is because they didn't want to be in the evening class. Now, this should be their one reason to independently cut a few lectures and get away with it.
For Nelson Wesonga, "I prefer to sleep at 9pm." He therefore doesn't want to foresee a clash between his time of sleep and the time at which the last lecture ends. He is also contemplating choosing a convenient schedule that doesn't force him to study beyond 6pm or 7pm.
But Justus Lyatuu is comfortable with the changes and even says he wouldn't mind if some lectures ended at midnight. He freelances with the Daily Monitor and remarks, "The changes don't interfere with my programme. I think it is blessing to me."
Despite these 'inevitable' changes, some lectures which were merged haven't started yet. Students have been attending the lecture halls but no instructor has shown up. When one student contacted the instructor, whose identity will remain anonymous, he said he is not aware he is supposed to teach. Further still, he emphasised that the university hasn't honoured him last semester's dues for the classes he taught.
Dr. Hannington Sengendo, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts says the lecturers' or instructors' awareness on the teaching schedules is supposed to be communicated by their respective heads of department. He argues the time tables for the various departments were released in the first week, and it is the responsibility of respective faculty heads or coordinators to inform the instructors about the time tables.
However, he blames a shortfall of lecturers in the establishment for the merging of some lectures as already witnessed. He says some members are on study leave. This has adversely affected the departments like Mass Communication, Geography, Tourism and Urban Planning, which don't have established teaching structures. More than 90% of the teaching fraternity is hired on contractual basis. This exposes a visible need for more lectures, though, "We are not the appointing authority but we use contacts like heads of department to identify potential students for hire."
For the university to hire more teaching staff, Dr. Sengendo says, "It depends on how the university is facilitated."
However, he was concerned that many students are cutting lectures, despite the lecturers reporting on time. "I moved around classes today and there were no students in class. There was only one student in a Literature class I went to."
Joshua Masinde

Safaricom losing subscribers outside Kenya

Although, it's the most profitable and reportedly, with the cheapest rates in East Africa, Safaricom's subscribers in Uganda are complaining about the newly introduced exorbitant calling and short message (sms) rates in Uganda. Previously, the subscribers, most of whom are Kenyans, were being charged Kshs 8 (Ushs192) per minute on Ongea Tariff, and relatively the same charges on other tariffs like the belated Jibambie. This has been increased by over 200 pc. The rates now stand at between Kshs 25 (Ushs 600) to Kshs 28 (Ushs 672) per minute and Ksh 10 (Ushs 240) for a text message.
"Safaricom is charging us expensively," remarked Scola Kamau, a Kenyan student in Uganda, adding that she has reverted to MTN which is relatively cheaper now.
This is hurting Safaricom's subscriber base in Uganda as it is losing out most of them to ZAIN and MTN (Mobile Telecommunications Network), the biggest mobile network in Uganda. MTN is comparatively cheaper, especially on its MTN Zone tariff, which is rated on percentages. Calls are as cheap as almost no or negligible charges when the percentage is high at 90pc or more.
When contacted to explain the phenomenon, a Safaricom customer care personnel claimed the tariffs for Safaricom subscribers who go out of Kenyan borders will not be the same as was the case. The roaming service, a new name for tariffs charged for its customers who go out of Kenyan borders, is the burden that many a Kenyan Safaricom subscribers in Uganda are trying to avoid like a plague.
The exorbitant taxation system in Kenya could be one of the reasons for the hike in tariffs that will mostly hurt subscribers outside of Kenya. Currently, the (VAT) Value Added Tax is as high as 26per cent, and it could be more, hurting investors, even though they rake in millions or billions of shillings in profits each year.
However, what explains the new charges is a technical hitch the Telecommunications Company experienced in late January this year. For about two days, it was glee for Safaricom subscribers in Uganda whenever they would top up their accounts with MTN credit cards. A top up of Ushs 500 (approximately Kshs 20) would recharge the subscriber's account to Kshs 2000 (more than Ushs 48,000).
Taking advantage of the technical hitch, some people would top up to as much as Kshs 200,000 (approximately Ushs 48,000) and transfer as much as they wanted," said Innocent Masaki, who works as a customer care agent with ZAIN in Uganda.
He personally topped up more than Kshs 150,000 (approximately Ushs3.6million) though he wouldn't transfer more than Kshs 10,000 (about Ushs 240,000) per day. However, the lucrative exploit was short lived as all sim cards was blocked but activated with a credit-less account.
"Safaricom must have made losses and they want to recoup the money they lost during the technical error," says one subscriber. "We are all paying for the sins of a few people."
"I have money but I fear to top up," said Wyclieff Mugun. He is as well considering purchasing an MTN line. "Safaricom is for receiving only," he added.
And, indeed, Safaricom might also pay for the exodus of a few of its subscriber base to its local competitor or to its Ugandan counterparts MTN.
Joshua Masinde