Thieves have started stealing newly installed solar-powered street lights in Paidha Town Council Zombo District triggering disappointment from The council leadership and beneficiaries of the new venture.
The 12 solar-powered street lights were Installed months ago in the first phase out of the local revenue generated.
The stolen equipment was along Maveninja Road in Alengukuma cell, at Ofaka Road and Kwete club making the places completely dark.
The LC3 chairperson of Paidha Town Council Innocent Godfred Onega who strongly condemned the act said the two stolen equipment cost 3.8 million Ugandan shillings and he called upon members of the public to help authorities in the recovery process.
He added that the council will offer Ugx 250,000 to anyone who will covertly provide information about the whereabouts of the stolen equipment.
“As the council, we are struggling to ensure that we improve on the beauty and standard of this town and create a favourable operating environment for the business community by installing street lights for safety. To our disappointment this morning we realized that two of our solar panels were stolen by unknown people. The stollen panels are worth Ugx 3.8 million and of 15 watts” Onega told this Publication
The plan for street lights by the council came into place following a bunch of complaints from the town dwellers about the existing dark spots that had become hotbeds of theft cases.
The 12 Installed equipment cost the council over 30 million Ugandan shillings and a case of the stolen equipment has been registered at Paidha Central police station under SD REF 35/06/10/2023.
Locals react
Godi Johnson, a resident of Ovuru Yindi cell said “Initially when the lights were not there, many places were dark spots that used to harbour thieves but at least it has helped, it’s quite unfortunate that people are vandalizing the street lights”.
Batista Berocan, a resident of Alengukuma cell equally expressed disappointment with those unscrupulous people vandalizing lights before recommending that the leadership installed more extensive street lights to fend off thieves.
” Darkness has returned on this street again after the light was removed days ago, I call upon the council to install big street lights, not the current type which is too deem, some time with the current street lights, you can’t see someone coming from far that’s why thieves are dismantling them,” Bercocan told this Publication.
Scovia Kayeny a vendor from Zingili cell said “The street lights have helped us to phase out phone grabbers along Ofaka Road, with this thing of vandalism, I suspect the cases are going to start again”
The business-oriented Paidha Town Council borders DR Congo and is home to over 30 thousand people of different Origins and local leaders and security don’t handle it with utmost care.
In this financial year, the council has allocated another whooping Ugx 78 million out of its local revenue to lighten the remaining dark spots in the town.
