By XAVIER MANCHISHI –
MORE than 400 households in Kazembe area of Mwansabombwe District in Luapula Province are earmarked to benefit from the Mununshi Rural Electrification Authority (REA) Project aimed at lighting up grass-thatched houses.
REA senior power development and distribution officer Nason Musonda said the project is aimed at benefiting rural communities living in grass thatched houses.
The project being piloted in Kazembe, Luangeni and parts of North-Western Province is a shift from the previous trend where the authority used to electrify only peri-urban houses.
“The project is a pilot project just like the one we are running in Luangeni in Eastern Province and North-Western Province. This project aims to light up the rural communities,” he said.

. Mwata Kazembe

Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe of the Lunda people of Luapula Province hailed REA for the initiative to light up villages which will spur development in the rural areas.
“People cannot buy a fridge or a television set because there is no electricity but Iam sure when power comes, the people will be able to buy electrical appliances,” he said.
He was speaking when a REA delegation led by corporate affairs manager Justin Mukosa called on him at his palace to explain the authority’s activities in the area.
The traditional leader, however, expressed misgivings at the capacity of his subjects to pay bills once the project is up and running.
But Mr Mukosa assured the senior chief that prepaid metres will be installed in the houses so that the consumers would only use electricity as and when they want it.
“Zesco will put up prepaid metres, which will regulate how the consumers use their electricity. Mainly in these areas they need electricity for lighting so the bills will be negligible,” he said.
Mununshi Rural Health Centre sister-in-charge Josephine Nkowane said the transition from the health facility having no electricity to being lit up by REA, had made work easier.
Ms Nkowane bemoaned the low voltage and incessant power cuts that often disrupt service delivery.
Chibondo Basic School head teacher Emmanuel Kasuba said since the school was electrified by REA in 2014, it had improved the grade nine pass rate by 30 per cent.