Electricity rollout lagging behind housing expansion

Jan 11, 2026 Letters

Dear Editor,

In a recent letter, I highlighted how misalignment between water-sector planning and house-lot distribution inevitably leads to delays in household service delivery. It is a feature we see in communities daily. Additionally, a review of publicly available procurement activity suggests that a similar structural issue is now emerging in the electricity sector, where the sequencing of essential grid infrastructure does not appear to be keeping pace with the rollout of new housing schemes and expanding residential demand.

Based on what is observable from tender listings and timelines, the procurement of transformers and related distribution equipment remains a critical gating factor. When these items are not secured and deployed in tandem with land allocation and housing construction, electricity connections lag behind physical development, leaving completed or near-completed homes effectively unserviceable.

The practical consequences are already familiar to many households. Families waiting to occupy new homes remain without power, while existing communities face more frequent outages and unstable supply as growing demand stretches aging infrastructure. These are not abstract inconveniences but disruptions that affect refrigeration, water pumps, internet access, and small home-based economic activity.

There are also direct financial implications. Where public infrastructure lags, households absorb the cost privately, through generators, appliance replacements due to voltage fluctuations, or higher rents in areas perceived to have more reliable supply. These costs do not appear in project budgets, yet they are a predictable outcome of poor infrastructure sequencing.

As with water, the burden falls most heavily on newer and expanding communities. Areas already connected are better able to cope, while new housing schemes fall further behind, reinforcing uneven development despite official claims of coordinated planning.

The conclusion mirrors that reached in the water sector. Infrastructure delivery is not merely a matter of capital expenditure but of timing, coordination, and institutional discipline. Where procurement and service-connection planning are not aligned with land distribution, citizens inevitably pay the price through delays, added expense, and reduced quality of life.

Yours faithfully,
Sherod Duncan, MP

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