The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) has Wednesday approved new costs that shall be charged to customers by Umeme and other electricity distribution companies.
The decision comes weeks after cabinet approved suspension of the Electricity Connection Policy (ECP) under which Ugandans were entitled to free connections to the national power greed.
The program was suspended because of budget constraints and a bulging debt to Umeme. The new power connection fees were announced today by Julius Wandera, the ERA Director Corporate and Consumer Affairs as follows. The approved new connection cost he said is inclusive of meter test fees of Ush 8,000 payable to Uganda National Bureau of Standards.
With the new costs out, Wandera said power distribution companies have since been instructed to make Electricity Connections for Customers who have the financial capacity and willingness to pay for their connections Effective Monday, 7th December 2020.
“All Licensed Electricity Distribution Companies are directed to publish the ERA-Approved Connection Costs to their customers using customer appropriate platforms including visible charts in their various field offices,” he said.
The adjustment according to ERA is to enable Ugandans with capacity to go ahead and pay for their own connections.
Those who cannot afford have been advised to “wait until such a time when Government has mobilized resources to finance the new connections as guided by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development in the Policy Directive.