ACCESS TO THE RURAL ELECTRIFICATION INITIATIVE AND LIVELIHOOD IMPROVEMENT IN RURAL SANGA SUB COUNTY AND SANGA TOWN COUNCIL, UGANDA

Electricity is such an important utility that has transformed communities by empowering them financially through different activities that generate income (World Bank, 2015). Without electricity, many communities struggle to obtain the resources necessary to lift themselves out of a static state which greatly impacts people’s lives. Rural communities have a genuine and justifiable need for electricity (World Bank, 2016). These communities want to use electricity in relatively small quantities in order to: pump water, transport commodities, engage in income generating activities, practice modernized healthcare, and increase available light to extend work and leisure hours. Unfortunately, the road to achieving electrification is complex and costly. Currently, Uganda’s electricity sector is in flux: after the passage of the 1999 Electricity Act private enterprise was introduced into all aspects of the sector. Since that time, problems with power theft, insufficient supply, geographic isolation, and high infrastructure costs have inhibited rural communities from gaining access to electricity (RESP, 2013). This paper attempts to uncover some of the major challenges of making electricity accessible in Uganda, a developing country with a large rural population. Information was obtained through site visits, area appraisals, interviews with key informants, and general observation. The subsequent sections provide a reasonably extensive overview of the electricity sector in Uganda; foundational information that is necessary if one is to truly understand the electricity situation. Two case studies were covered in this study and these were; Rural Sanga Sub County and Sanga Town Council with their challenges as far as electrification is concerned. The final section contains recommendations for making electricity more accessible to rural Ugandans, based on the information gathered during the research period.