East African Business Week

West Nile, Uganda- Thomas Asusi has lived in Metu sub county in the West Nile district of Moyo all his life, but little did he know that one day River Amua where they fetch water from is not only a river but could one day light the area.  
"This river has been flowing and flowing for long even before we were born. But nobody knew it would one day give us power," says Thomas Asusi, a resident of Metu.
"It is where we fetch our water for domestic, even animals drink the water, but it continues to flow like that year in year out"  
Asusi is one the 78 households in Gwere-Luzira and Menyar villages in Metu who are now benefiting from a community based rural electrification scheme being generated from River Amua.
With a shaft, turbine and motors developed by local artisans, Pico Hydro scheme on River Amua in the West Nile region of Moyo district, generates a total of 1.5 kW for lighting and charging mobile phones for the communities.
The Shs14 million ($5,000) project is a community based initiative.
Residents say they pay Shs 1,000 ($0.5) per month to Pico as maintenance costs and Shs100 for charging their phones. Other residents pay Shs300 for charging.
While commissioning the project recently, the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, Irene Muloni, said the project will go a long way in promoting renewable energy in the country.
River Amua, which the locals call the river of life, flows from Mt Nyeri in Ghari village on the border with South Sudan through Metu Sub country, and pours its waters into the mighty River Nile.  
The river is changing the lives of the people in the agriculturally rich Metu.
"This river means a lot to this area. It is associated with many things, but the most important thing it has done for us is to give us light," Alice Masudio a farmer said.
Word has it that gold particles used to flow through the river.
The presence of gold is said to have diverted the attention of the youth who left school and in search of wealth
Pico technology utilises a small river or stream to generate electricity of up to 5 kW. It has been successfully adopted in some countries in South-eastern Asia.
In Uganda, geographical location for Pico hydropower exists in Mt Elgon National Park, the Rwenzori mountains, South Western and some areas on the northwestern Uganda.
MPs from West Nile region who visited the Pico power project commended the initiative saying if it can be done in Metu then it can be done elsewhere.
With only 5% of the population having access to electricity, Pico hydro power poses one of the potential solutions to enhance access to electricity thereby improve rural livelihoods in remote regions of the country.