Nearly four months have elapsed since the March 1 ban on unlicensed electricians working on construction projects and according to officials, only 120 electricians have been able to obtain licenses in their country.

The government, through Rwanda Utility and Regulatory Authority (RURA) banned unlicensed electricians as part of the effort to improve safety of buildings and the enforcement started with public buildings in the City of Kigali.

Speaking to The New Times, Alex Mutware, the General Manager of Energy, Water and Sanitation Regulation Department at RURA revealed that so far they have received more than 300 applications of which 250 were successful.

He said that out of these, 120 have been issued with valid permits and the rest are still being processed, he said. 

"We have started enforcing the policy on commercial buildings. Owners who need electricity metres (cash powers) from Rwanda Energy Group (REG) are being required to provide evidence that they have hired a licenced individual or company to do their installation.”

He revealed that they are working with the City of Kigali in the enforcement, adding that they are so far concentrating on commercial complexes and will later extend the enforcement to residential houses.

"The main challenge is that some practitioners think that it’s not necessary to have a licence,” he said. "We will keep sensitising them that having a licence is for their good. Those we have so far reached out to have understood.”

RURA works with the Institution of Engineers Rwanda to organise exams for electricians who apply for license.

Yves Gahutu, an electro-mechanical engineer and member of the Institution of Engineers Rwanda told The New Times that among members of their institution, some have been licenced and others haven’t.

He said that the institution has pledged to help its members to get licensed.

"In the recent rounds of the exams, the pass rate was just 45% which is a big gap because most candidates did not meet the requirements. There is still a gap between what’s needed on the field and what is taught in schools,” he said.

He said that the institution will continue organising training for its members to help them get the license, adding that it was very important that they all get accredited.

Gahutu also called for public awareness regarding the importance of having a licence as an electrical installation practitioner and the benefits for an owner of a construction project to hire licenced electricians.

Apollinaire Bayiringire, an electrician said that he hasn’t gotten the permit but is willing to do the exam and obtain the license, saying that this comes with a lot of opportunities.

"Those companies that deal with commercial buildings cannot give you a job if you don’t have a licence. I want to apply for it so that I can be eligible for these lucrative jobs,” he said.

Deborah Uwimana, another member of the Institution of Engineers Rwanda who also has a valid permit with categories A and D told The New Times that the permit has boosted her confidence and has improved the trust of her clients concerning her work.

"Many people used to think that women couldn’t be trusted to do electrical installations but when they see me with my licence which not many have, the attitude changes,” she said.

She recognises that a few of her fellows have gained the licence and that others haven’t understood the importance of having one.

"There are those who have been doing this work for more than 20 years and have not caused any fault or danger. They feel like there is no need to have a licence because they haven’t understood the importance of having one or don’t know more about it,” she said.

"But it is important to have it because it will assure your clients that you are competent and will help us protect our buildings and electrical installations.”

Tackling the exams, she said that they are not hard for those who already do electrical installations or were well-educated in schools. She urged other women in the field to be confident and demonstrate what they can do.

"They shouldn’t give up even when they fail in the first exam; they should consider improving skills and do better in the next,” she said.

Classification of licenses

Upon passing the exam, the candidate will be issued a license based on any of the four categories A, B, C, D, and Z.

Class A is for those who do electrical installation of residential premises not exceeding five bedrooms and reparations on equipment of up to 230 volts.

Class B is for those who can work on multi-storied buildings, other big bungalows and mansions of complex design and commercial buildings and installation of light plants up to a level of 400 volts and any work under Class A.

Class C is specifically for those certified to install low voltage and medium voltage connections up to 30kV and any work under Class B.

Class D is for those who can do electrical installation systems designs and Installation in specialized fields like switchgear, centralized heating, refrigeration, and generator sets and solar systems.

The last class is Z and it is a category for those doing installation of any plants up to and including high voltage (70kV and above).