Umeme load shedding protests close Entebbe road

SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 1 DECEMBER 2011

Protesters burn used tires in the middle of Entebbe road.

Entebbe road was briefly closed this Thursday morning as the business community around Katwe protested the continued power outages that have affected their businesses.

Protesters, who included business people, placed huge stones in the middle of the road and lit fires using old tires, blocking traffic. Police quickly appeared on the scene to disperse the traders who were protesting the load shedding some claimed had gone for as long as five days in a row. There are now Police foot patrols around the area to ensure that protests do not resume.

Electricity power distributor Umeme announced two weeks ago increased load shedding from 12 hour schedule to 24 hour load shedding. Umeme cited the breakdown at the Mutundwe power station for the increased load shedding that has plagued much of the country.

The protests began at about 9:00am and lasted up to about 10:30am when Police was able to bring the situation under control. There were no reports of any arrests or injuries.