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At exactly, 11:52 am on Saturday, President Yoweri Museveni officially commissioned the Nebbi substation, marking a significant achievement that has culminated in the connection of the West Nile sub-region to the high voltage national grid.

“The argument that has been pushed by some people that we forgot about West Nile region is wrong. They were being pushed by unserious and disruptive people,” Museveni said shortly after commissioning the substation in Nebbi district.

The commissioning was received with excitement from the dignitaries in attendance who include Vice President Jessica Alupo, Second Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Moses Ali, energy and mineral development minister, Ruth Nankabirwa, and other former and current ministers, permanent secretaries, heads of government agencies, and World Bank officials, among others.

Geofrey Feta, the chairperson of the West Nile Parliamentary Caucus and Ayivu East Member of Parliament in Arua City described the day as "a fundamental change in the history of West Nile with the stable and industrially reliable electricity."

“We have been receiving enormous pressure from the people of West Nile,” Feta said.

Nankabirwa said at the peak of pressure exertion from the people of West Nile, she was “one time forced to tell the people of West Nile that power doesn’t move on boda bodas.”

“We had to mobilise resources to have this power utilised by the end-users,” Nankabirwa said.

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The 110-year journey of West Nile in 'darkness' comes to an end. The region is now connected to the national power grid, marking a historic milestone in its development.

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Saturday, August 3, 2024, marks a significant shift in the energy and economic fortunes of the West Nile sub-region with the commissioning of the Kole-Gulu-Nebbi-Arua transmission line that connects the region to the national grid.

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All photos by Mpalanyi Ssentongo