Spotlight Kampala is a multi-institutional research collaboration of universities and community advocates that aims to shed light on the inequities faced by informal urban communities in accessing and utilizing electricity. Our data provides important baseline statistics on metrics of access like access rates, affordability, supply reliability and quality as well as an understanding of how community members perceive and navigate barriers to access. We aim not only to provide summary statistics, but to ground these learnings in the daily lived experience of Kampala’s informal residents. Community participation is a core objective of the work, with community members involved in each step of research design, execution, and dissemination.
Hosting forums in each of the 25 participating communities to solicit feedback on research findings and vote on solutions. Convening a stakeholder workshop on July 26, 2023 to disseminate findings to wider stakeholder audience, including the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Umeme, and the Electricity Regulatory Authority.
Analysis of data and team conference hosted at UC Berkeley from May 8-12, 2023.
Second wave of surveys, interviews, power consumption monitors, and wiring inspections specifically focused on barriers to using electricity for cooking.
Executing surveys and interviews, deployment of remote power quality sensor, and mapping of community infrastructure, focused on identifying key challenges to accessing the grid
Piloting of methodology during a preliminary visit to Kampala in May 2022, obtaining ethical approvals, first meetings with partner communities, and detailed logistical planning for fieldwork.
Designing research questions, selecting methodology, applying for funding, and identifying key partners.