More than 200 solar street lights installed in Hoima City under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) programme, funded by the World Bank, have been vandalized since September last year, according to statistics obtained from the city offices.
Of these, city authorities have so far managed to replace only 56 solar street lights for 70 million shillings, leaving large parts of the city in darkness.
Residents say the non-functional streetlights have created safe havens for criminals, who target unsuspecting pedestrians, motorists, and street vendors at night, resulting in robberies, injuries, and, in some cases, fatalities.
Most of the vandalised solar street lights are located in Kiryatete, Kinubi, Mukati, Lusaka, Bujumbura, Kiganda, and Kibaati, all suburbs of Hoima City, while others are along Kabaleega, Bunyoro-Kitara, Hoima–Fort Portal, Persy, Hoima–Butiaba, and Kwebiha streets, among others.
Stephen Kisembo, a resident of Kigandan Cell in Hoima West Division, says criminals are using the cover of darkness to waylay road users, break into houses, and assault individuals without being easily noticed or identified.
Brian Kaboyo, the Hoima City Mayor acknowledges the problem, saying vandalism of street lights has become a major security threat to residents, yet replacing or repairing solar lights is very expensive.
He says the city needs between 300 and 500 million shillings to fully repair all the vandalised street lights.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine Region Police Spokesperson says investigations are ongoing to trace the suspects involved in vandalising the street lights.
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