Makamba : activities paralyzed following untimely power cuts

Makamba province (southern Burundi), like most other provinces in the country, has been experiencing an untimely power cut for some time. The shortfall is enormous, according to managers of both state and private companies. This is the case for banks, microfinance institutions and hospitals.

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Some managers of public and private structures say they are no longer supplied with electricity during operating hours.

“The provincial hospital currently spends more than 19 million Burundi francs each month to supply its generator with fuel. All the services of this hospital are computerized, which makes it impossible to work if it does not have electricity while these “expenses had not been planned”, deplores one of the managers of this health structure while specifying that the province lacks fuel.

The situation is identical for banks and microfinance institutions in all districts in the province. Customers who come to make withdrawals or deposit money can spend a whole day waiting for electricity so they can benefit from the required services, sometimes in vain.

Even mobile phone company agencies say they are affected. “Networks are almost non-existent. We cannot find fuel for our generators to replace direct current, which disrupts our activities, and our customers are angry,” explains a manager of a mobile telephone agency.

Regideso, the state company in charge of water and electricity distribution, continues to announce the end of power cuts, which its general director repeated once again 17 days ago affirming that “we will no longer talk about the problem of untimely power cuts in two weeks.” Some senators recently asked Major Jean Albert Manigomba to “no longer speak on the situation unless he is certain of the real achievements of his service”, to avoid being called a “liar”.

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A candle lit in a house without electricity in the commercial city Bujumbura, June 2024