Tempers are flaring in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa that is currently experiencing drastic shortage of power in the city that has a population of more than 15 million inhabitants.
The situation continues to worsen and is affecting the daily lives of residents with electricity now becoming a luxury in some parts of the city where “It’s not easy to have it, even during the day.”
As the capital continues to grow in size and population, its electricity infrastructure is struggling to keep up the pace and leaves many neighborhoods plunged into darkness.
“Difficulties in accessing electricity constitute a major concern for most Kinshasa residents. The increase in population, urbanization problems, too few electrical cabins, broken down or in need of maintenance, are among the causes of power cuts,” says a notable person from the commune of Barumbu.
The daily power cuts continue act as a threat to the very survival of businesses in the city, the impact is enormous.
“We spend a lot of money just to buy fuel. Without electricity, we earn nothing,” says the manager of an internet café in the lively Matonge district, caught trying to turn on an old generator.
In the streets of Kinshasa, electric poles and cables mounted by the National Electricity Company (SNEL) are visible, but there is no power.
Others experience untimely power cuts which expose residents to crime including theft, extortion, rape.
For now there is no solution to this problem with the National electricity provider defending itself that the company is facing an exponential rise in energy demand and its capacity is unfortunately below the quantity needed to serve the city.
