Day street lights burn sh900m

By Barbara Among

THE Kampala City Council (KCC) loses over sh1b a year as a result of failure to switch off its street lights during the day.
According to the KCC 2008/9l budget, street lighting was allocated sh1.1b. But this falls short of the real cost. KCC now owes Umeme sh350m in outstanding electricity bills. As a result of non-payment, Umeme disconnected some of the lights.

According to KCC spokesman Simon Muhumuza, KCC spends sh1.8b per year in electricity bills for the 3,000 bulbs in Kampala.

If these lights were switched off during the day, KCC would save close to sh900m a year. This is more than double the city council’s education budget for 2008/9, set at sh395m.

Muhumuza attributes the problem to theft. “Some lights are never switched off because the automatic switches were stolen, and continue to be stolen whenever we fix them,” he said.
This forces KCC to improvise. One worker has to go around the city switching the street lights on and off manually. But by the time he is through with all the 40 switches, it is mid-day, yet shortly after he has to return to switch them on again.

But a KCC official, who preferred anonymity, says the Works department, which is in charge of street lighting, is as much to blame.

“Most of the switches for street lights are stolen by the people who install them,” he said.
“They are the only ones who know which switches are installed and they connive with thieves to sell them off on the open market.”
Burning of street lights during the day is not the only problem KCC faces. Over half of the lights are not functional.

Yet, in June 2008, the mayor, Nasser Sebaggala, who is also the minister for finance and administration, told the council that all street lights had been installed at a cost of sh1.9b.

“For the first time in over 20 years, we have street lights that work,” he said. KCC and the Government had fixed dilapidated street lights in preparation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2007.
Lights which had not been working for ages, such as those in Najjanakumbi, Queen’s Way, Kampala Road, Nakasero, Wandegeya, Nakawa, Ntinda and Bugolobi, came back to life.

The sight of Kampala at night became that of a modern metropolis. According to the CHOGM accountability statements, sh12b was spent on lighting Kampala and Entebbe streets ahead of CHOGM; half of which has not yet been paid.

In Entebbe, five roads and two open spaces got lights and sh388m was given to the municipal council for this project.

In Kampala, 88 roads, six open spaces and five junctions were lit. The Government contracted Dott Services to fix the street lights. The contractor said in its report that some 3,000 electrical poles were erected for the event.

However, information indicates that some of the materials imported for CHOGM were substandard, owing to the hurried way they were purchased. Some of the lights imported were either smaller or bigger than the required type.
Today, almost two years later, about 60% of the street lights are non-functional. Many bulbs are dead and some have no lights. Others are lying against buildings or on the ground.

From Kireka to Bombo Road and through to Wandegeya, from Parliament to Entebbe round-about, the streets are dark. Only Nakawa and the central divisions are maintaining most of their street lights.
Elsewhere, several places remain dark spots, creating not only traffic-related hazards but also insecurity to pedestrians.

While KCC is responsible for payment of the energy bill and installing new lights, the divisions are responsible for their maintenance.

But Sebaggala said resource constraints hampered both the installation and maintenance of street lights. “We provide services according to the resources available,” he said.

He estimates that they need about 10,000 lights to cover the city. “To do this, we need about sh35b to put up the lights and sh1b to maintain them annually.”
As for the faulty lights, Sebaggala blamed errant motorists who knock them down and rogues who vandalise them. “To handle this menace, we have contracted a private company to manage these lights and, in turn, advertise their products on the poles.”

However, in his 2009 report, the Auditor General, John Muwanga, said the contract lacked a proper agreement and, therefore, the scope of the work done and other obligations could not be verified.
Sebaggala also decried the high rate Umeme charges KCC for lighting. “The lights are a public good, yet the rates charged are the second highest.”

The town clerk, Ruth Kijambu, suggested special treatment, because illuminating the city is a public service. While appearing before Parliament last year, she suggested that street lighting should not be charged at the commercial rate.

Muhumuza noted that many people don’t pay KCC its dues and yet they demand services. “Everybody, including the Government, must pay what they owe KCC. The public owes sh40b which, if paid, would have the city illuminated.”
However, Chris Nyanzi, a consultant on urban management, suggests that the 180 watts bulbs used by KCC are wasteful because there are bulbs that use less power.

He is of the opinion that KCC’s intervention of manual switching on and off power will not help unless they deploy more people.

“Even if each division gets two people, KCC would save money. Alternatively, local leaders can be mobilised. But the ultimate solution is to centralise the lighting control switchboards where security can be ensured.”