Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom has rejected a proposal by the ERA to construct a hydro power dam at Murchison Falls.
In a notice released earlier this year by ERA, it stated that, “ERA has under section 29 of the Electricity Act 1999 received a notice of intended application of a license from Bonang Power and Energy Limited for the generation and sale of electricity from a hydropower plant proposed to be established near Murchison Falls in Kiryandongo and Nwoya districts”.
This proposal gained massive public attention saying that this would destroy the tourism industry.
Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom has come out to oppose the project. The Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Mr Andrew Byakutaga, said they strongly condemn the move, adding that the kingdom will not at any point allow government to establish a power dam on Murchison Falls.
The Prime Minister also said that this would destroy the attraction site for the kingdom.
“We have already written to the Electricity Regulation Authority (ERA) warning them not to make any attempts to establish a power dam on Murchison Falls,” he said.
The Tourism sector alone earned the country Shs5. 8 trillion in the 2018/2019 financial year and Murchison Falls remain one of the most iconic tourist attractions in Uganda.
Murchison Falls National Park is managed by the Ugandan Wildlife Authority. It is located in the North-Western part of Uganda, spreading inland from the shores of Lake Albert, around the Victoria Nile, up to the Karuma Falls. The park straddles the districts of Buliisa, Nwoya, Kiryandongo, and Masindi.