“That cost was a bit high for my clients,” he recalls. Not any more. Today, his locale has been connected to the national electricity grid system, thanks to Rwanda Energy Group that has made the connections. He accesses cheap electricity, and he charges less from his loyal clients of 15 years.
“With on-grid electricity connection, I reduced the milling charges to Rwf15 for a kilogram of sorghum and Rwf40 for maize,” explains Kanyama, with a wry knowing smile of satisfaction and more hope.
Kanyama’s milling business profitability has, too, improved to great heights as he puts it.
“Before we were connected to electricity, I used to fuel the generator for powering my miller with Rwf5000 worth of fuel from which I would get a return of Rwf2000. Now that profit has doubled.”
Besides the high costs, Kanyama explains, air pollution, because of the fumes from the generator, was apparent, a complaint raised quite often by some of his neighbors. It is different now; “No pollution, no complaints, no disharmony. This is real development.”
Kanyama is not the only beneficiary of the recent power connections in Kirehe District. He is among the 6,043 households that were connected to the on-grid electricity system in 2017/2018 fiscal year where the district surpassed its target of connecting 5,544 households, registering 109% performance.
This trend has been quite progressive.
In 2015, only 17,126 Kirehe households were connected to electricity but have since increased to more than 30,000 households, translating into 30% of the district population accessing electricity.
Other Kirehe residents connected to electricity on-grid system last month, say the connections have changed a lot in their everyday lives, enabling some create or get jobs that earn them an income.
Martin Nduwubwami, another resident of Kigina Sector, says he has got a job in a hairdressing salon that was established after power connection. “It has changed my livelihood,” he enthuses, adding; “I was jobless but I can now meet my daily basic needs. Before our area was connected, I was doing cultivation that yielded almost no profit for me,” he says.
Nduwubwami, an orphan, can now earn a daily income of between Rwf1,500 and Rwf3000. And just like that, the joy permeates, the excitement spreads.
Some residents say their houses are well lit during nights and their school-going children can revise their books regardless of whether it is day or night.
Jean Marie Vianney Mazimpaka, for example, is a father of four school-going children, who, he says, now do revise their books at any time. It was dark before. We used to use a kerosene lamp which was shared from one room to another.”
Mazimpaka expresses more happiness. “We had one hair-cutting salon in the area before electricity connection; now in a very short span of time, we have two. And we no longer have to walk for 30 minutes to reach a point of charging our mobile phones, for which service we would pay Rwf100.”
And the journey continues. Statistics by Rwanda Energy Group indicate that nationwide, 46.5% of households are connected to electricity, steadily progressing towards the targeted 100% access by 2024. “This government through REG is committed to achieving just that,” says a REG official.
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