KAMPALA – Kampala’s suburbs are described as dark spots of crime, vandalism and thefts that characterize the city at night because of shortage of security lights.
Although it is clear that keeping your streets well lit at night is another important step in enhancing security, Kampala city has shortage of about 73, 000 lights.
Ms Beti Kamya, the minister for Kampala affairs says Kampala Capital City Authority is facing a shortage of 73,000 security lights in and around the city due to the outdated technology and theft of the existing lights.
Ms Kamya said this while a team from Phillips Lighting and Signify at her office in Kampala 21 October.
She revealed that of the 4,000 security lights in the city required in the city centre, only 2000 have been installed and some of these are not working while others have been stolen.
“We need street lights because the city is dark. We have the problem of quality, the lights we have installed get stolen, they are vandalized. The cost of repeating the investment is bogging down the city,” she said, explaining that to cover Kampala city, the whole city requires 75, 000 security lights but only 4,000 were 40 half of which are not working.
She said as KCCA they have tried protect the lights from theft by working closely with the police to apprehend the vandals but they have failed.
Mr Mahesh Iyer the Chief Executive Officer Phillips Light who led a delegation from Phillips and Dembe distributors, their local agents in Uganda, met Kamya and Minister of Education to introduce a new lighting arrangement for Kampala streets and rural schools.
Mr Anil Damani the Chief executive Officer Dembe Group said they are currently training Kampala Capital City Authority staff how to install and maintain the lights and that they are going to map all the lights so that when one of them is spoilt, it is easy to tell its location.
“We can install security cameras on the pole, we shall also have telecom companies using the poles for internet. Advertising companies can put billboards on the poles that will be lit by the lights so that we have one pole serving several purposes,” he said
