President Yoweri Museveni has today commissioned historical projects in Kalangala district that will turn round the economic status of the people of the area from poverty to prosperity.
The projects include Kalangala Infrastructure Service (KIS) that is now providing the people of Kalangala with electricity, safe drinking water, good roads and a modern ferry that now joins Kalangala district to the main land via Bukakata landing site in Masaka district.
President Museveni on arrival in Kalangala district first commissioned Bukuzindu Hybrid Power Station that is generating 1.6 MW of electricity.
“People who have been selling paraffin for ‘tadobas’ are going to disappear from Kalangala. Paraffin will soon be history because there is power on the Island,” the President noted while addressing a rally at Kibanga Primary School in Kalangala Town Council.
The Solar Thermal Plant is the largest in East Africa whose total cost is US$17 million covering transmission and distribution lines as well as benefitting 2,000 people who are receiving power free of charge and other paying 20,000 customers. The total target of people to get electricity in Kalangala is 35,000.
The current power generation of the plant at 1.6 MW, leaves a lot of excess power as Kalangala district currently consumes only 500 KVAs. The electricity generated is, therefore, good for industrialization in the area as more factories like that of the ice plant, fish processing and maize mills are to be established creating more jobs for the islanders.
The KIS Projects are funded by various groups that include, among others, Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Infraco Ltd funded mainly by DFID of UK, Ned Bank Capital, Emerging Africa Infrastructural Fund and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC).
President Museveni also laid a foundation stone for the construction of Oil Palm Uganda Limited (OPUL) factory whose production is scheduled to start later this year with a daily production capacity of 100 tons of cooking oil.
Later, President Museveni commissioned a farmers’ fertilizer storage facility in Kalangala Town Council. He was received at the facility by the Minister of State in the Office of the Vice-President, Hon. Vincent Nyazi.
President Museveni donated Shs.50 million to Kalangala Palm Trees Farmers’ Savings and Credit Society Cooperatives (SACCO).
By Joshua Mutale