This archive report was first published on 7 December 2019.
Uganda's Murchison Falls National Park, a pristine ecosystem home to diverse flora and fauna, is facing a new threat with the government's decision to allow a South African company, Bonang Power and Energy (Pty) Ltd, to construct a hydropower dam across Uhuru Falls.
The decision comes just three months after a similar request by Bonang Power was rejected, sparking fresh public outcry and questions about the company's capacity and capability in constructing a hydropower dam.
According to a search on the company's website, www.bonangpower.co.za, the site has been pulled down, leaving little information about the company's background or previous projects.
A Facebook page for the company lists its address as 195 Jan Smits Avenue in Johannesburg, but provides no further details about its operations or experience in hydropower construction.
The company's chairman, Ernest Moloi, is listed on LinkedIn as the chairman of Bonang Power and Energy PTY ltd at Moseme Construction Pty Ltd in Johannesburg.
Further research on Moseme constructions reveals that it is a construction company based in Benoni, South Africa.
Bonang Power is not new to Uganda, having met with President Museveni in 2015 to discuss power projects related to the Kiira and Nalubale hydropower dams.
However, since then, little has been seen of the company, except for an application for a permit to carry out a feasibility study in Murchison Falls National Park in April.
Concerns have been raised about the company's legitimacy, with the African Institute for Energy Governance (Afiego) describing it as a 'front by corrupt middlemen' with no track record of hydropower construction.
The Murchison Falls National Park is already under stress due to oil and gas exploration, with oil roads being constructed within the park and expected to cause disturbance to the ecosystem.
A 2017 study by the National Environment Authority found that the biodiversity economic value of Murchison Falls' landscape is over $60 billion.
With the planned feasibility study for the dam, Afiego has called on the government to stop the project, citing concerns about the company's legitimacy and the potential impact on the park's ecosystem.
