ARUA CITY COUNCIL APPROVES PROCUREMENT OF STREETLIGHT IN A BID TO CURB INSECURITY

By Hellen Agondua

Arua City

Arua City Council has approved 1,523,158,000 billion shillings to procure additional solar powered street lights to be installed in the Central Business District.
This was part of the 2 billion shillings the city received under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development project.

While moving the motion in an extraordinary council meeting on 14th.Oct.2024, the Secretary for Finance Committee, Sam Adriko, explained that the target was to improve security in the city.

“According to the assessments, there are a number of streets without lights and therefore pose a high security threat to the public. The executive committee recommended that lights will be installed along State lodge to Mvara S.S gate, to MUBs gate, Arua hill roundabout and Ediofe Cathedral road,” he said.

Councilor representing Persons with Disability in the council, Sabir Bakole, noted that there was need to improve security of the streetlights installed in the city.
“You are aware of the vandalism of these solar lights particularly along Oluko road. There are some areas that are in darkness. I beg that some of these funds be used to replace lights on those roads. Lastly, there is insecurity of those solar panels. To the contractor, we want work that is substantive and of quality,” he said.
Female Youth Councilor, Doreen Onyiru, challenged council to ensure that they played their supervisory role.

“We councilors have never been taken to do our mandatory roles like supervision on these roads. We do not know the value for money as councilors  since the supervision has not been done and today we are approving another 1.5 billion of which the 500 million will be given to the contractor as pending payment for previous works done,” said she.

However, Arua City Clerk, David Kyasanku, revealed that plans for the maintenance of the faulty streetlights were already underway. “The shelf life of the solar light is between 5 years active and then we need to add what we call the “O and A” components. Normally, what kills solar lights is the failure of regulators which control power and dusty or dirty panels. Contingency funds have been allocated to carry out maintenance of these solar panels. A lot is being done to correct and see that darkness on these roads is addressed,” he said.

The funds were originally meant to complete construction of some roads in the city earlier marked, but executive committee revealed that the cost would exceed the available budget.