ERA, WENRECO RAISE RED FLAG OVER UNCERTIFIED WIRE PERSONS IN WEST NILE

By Morish Dramadri
Arua city

Members of public in West Nile region have been urged to be on watch over masquerading wiremen and women who operate without certification from Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) as the region embraces the subsidized electricity connection promotion.
 
Last year, the government of Uganda in collaboration with West Nile Rural Electrification Company WENRECO launched a campaign targeting to connect 3000 households in the region within a distance 30- 35 meters from a power pole to power upon application, creating demand of wiremen and women with uncertified ones taking advantage.
 
In an engagement organized by Electricity Regulatory Authority, ERA with media in Arua city on Thursday, Christopher Kasangaki the projects engineer at WENRECO warns the certified wiremen and women against selling their permits to uncertified people.
 
“As electricians please deter from selling your permits to people who pretend that they know what to do but they don’t want to go back to school, all people in our region if you want wire your house and you meet a wire man, let them present their permit,” Kasangaki warned.
 
Recent report by West Nile wire persons Association reveal that many faults associated with poor domestic connections have emerged within the period, with about 500 complaints received per week.
 
Daniel Olinga the regional office lead at Electricity Regulatory Authority in Northern region summoned the wire persons to desist from fraudulently picking money from the public in the names of WENRECO.
 
“Wiremen the goodwill within us to support customers is there but sometimes in trying to be good, things can go wrong you might pick money from a customer and use it, desist from picking money from the customers beyond the amount agreed to wire the house,” Olinga appealed.
 
Meanwhile Samir Yassin a certified wire person working in Arua city admitted the corruption in the process, “it’s very hard to work with people in West Nile, people will look at cheap thing and go to masqueraders, yes people take money from the clients yet these things are supposed to be free of charge but it will reach am extend briberies will come, clients you should follow your forms yourself go up to WENRECO by yourself,” Samir revealed.
 
Since the launch of the free electricity connection promotion in 2024, the number of clients in the region has risen to 34,000 according to reports by WENRECO.