Sally Chiwama’s Weblog

By Sally Chiwama in Mporokoso

 Solar power is a good investment for most people in rural areas but for this couple, this investment did not do much for them as they only used the solar power to light up the house but not for cooking or refrigeration. They then decided to invest in a generator so that they could use such items as the fridge and cooker but this investment also proved to be too costly as the continuous buying of fuel was draining their resources.

 Charles Mubanga Mumba, Zambia’s new “scientist” and  Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation’s (ZESCO) new competitor then decided that with Kapumo waterfall in his backyard, he had all that he needed to generate power from it, the biggest resources he needed was his brains and his hands.

 ZAMWA visited the site where Charles Mumba, a resident of Mporokoso rural has put up a Mini Hydro Power Station using a K42million generator, tractor rim and other components at Kapumo falls on Mutotoshi River.

 A farmer by profession and a humble education of Form four (grade 11) from Chasa Secondary Schools in the Eastern province, Mumba decided to follow his dream and make it come true.

The dream was realized after an application to be connected to ZESCO cost him K68 million because ZESCO said that he was in the rural area and that they would need to put up a Transformer so that even other people could be connected if they applied.

 He told his wife Mary about what he planned to do but the wife thought that a man can dream but it would end at just that- a dream.

“I told my wife am going to generate power from the falls but she was sure I was going mad”, says Mumba.

 Mumba then says that the beginning was very tough as he had to wake up at 04:00am every day for more that one-year and this was not welcome with his wife but emphasizes that he had to do what he had to do.

 “It was not easy to see my husband leave the bedroom at 04:00hrs everyday for more than a year, but I had to support my husband and accepted the situation but it was a difficult thing to accept” says Mary.

 Mary also says that she only saw her husband for a few hours in a day as she had to take breakfast, lunch and supper to Kapumo falls where the husband worked with some of their children.

 Mumba then explains that he started looking for drums and used over five of them to create a heavy flow of water that he had to use to turn the turbines he created from an old tractor rim and other scrap metal. He further explains that he used an old tractor rim to make a turbine and other small components.  Mumba says he has been using power for six years generated for his domestic use as it supplied power to his house and his mother’s house.

He said he tried to engage some people to work with but they failed because they had little faith that electricity could be generated from his dream.

 Meanwhile, Mary told ZAMWA that life is now more bearable now as she can do anything she wants around the house and does not have to worry about paying bills to ZESCO she says with a smile. She also says that the children are now able to read and study anytime of the day.

 “It is only now that I realize I have an inventor for a husband” says Mary, shyly as she expertly knits a table cloth and when he told me that he wanted to generate electricity for us, I thought he was crazy, I thought he was just dreaming” it really boggled my mind”, said Mary. She further adds that she sees no difference now with her in rural Mporokoso and those that are in town and that a lot of things have changed in their life for the better.

 She proudly praises her husband that he can fix anything that he can get his hands on and that that is how they make a living. Mumba chips in and says that he gets contracts from government institutions such as the Mporokoso District hospitals to fix machines such as the Ultra sound machines, motor vehicles, computers and many other things.

He also says that now a lot of people and organizations have approached him to electrify their places but lack of funds is hindering his dreams.

 Mumba says that he now his two big dreams: “To light up Mporokoso so that the town should never have to rely on ZECSO and to go school but all these are hampered by lack of funds,” he says confidently.

 The government has recognized Mumbas efforts and last year President Levy Mwanawasa honored him on Independence Day. In October 2007, the Ministry of Science and Technology awarded Mumba with K80million, which he is yet to receive.

 Mumba electricity project is on Kapumo falls which is five kilometers west of Mporokoso.