From 24/7 Power to Rolling Blackouts: Why Rwandans Are Losing Faith in REG.

A growing wave of frustration is sweeping across Rwanda as recurring electricity outages disrupt households, businesses, and essential daily activities. The latest public expression of anger came from former Miss Rwanda First Runner-Up and entrepreneur Vanessa Raïssa Uwase, who openly questioned how a country once praised for reliable electricity has reached a point where extended outages are becoming increasingly common.

In a widely shared Instagram story, Vanessa described the impact of power cuts on ordinary Rwandans. She spoke about spoiled food, wasted milk stored in refrigerators, and the difficulties faced by mothers who pump and store breast milk. Her message resonated with thousands of citizens who say electricity disruptions are imposing significant economic costs on households already struggling with rising living expenses.

The public frustration is not occurring in isolation. Rwanda has experienced several nationwide and regional blackouts over the past two years. Government officials and Rwanda Energy Group (REG) have attributed different outages to regional transmission network problems, vandalism of power infrastructure, maintenance work, and technical challenges affecting interconnected power systems shared with neighboring countries.

For many citizens, however, the explanations have not fully addressed their concerns. Small businesses dependent on refrigeration, internet connectivity, manufacturing equipment, and digital payment systems report recurring losses whenever the power disappears unexpectedly. Reports from business owners indicate that repeated outages are disrupting productivity and increasing operational costs.

The controversy is also unfolding against a backdrop of longstanding criticism regarding the management of Rwanda's energy sector. Previous parliamentary hearings raised concerns about governance, procurement practices, accountability, and operational efficiency within REG. Lawmakers questioned whether management weaknesses were undermining the country's electrification objectives.

As public anger grows, social media has become filled with competing theories attempting to explain the outages. Some critics speculate that the blackouts may be connected to broader political or economic difficulties facing the country. Others claim the government is concealing information from the public. However, no publicly available evidence has substantiated allegations that power cuts were deliberately organized to hide military activities, conceal casualties, or facilitate illegal government operations. Such claims remain allegations and speculation rather than verified facts.

What is verifiable is that Rwanda's economy depends heavily on reliable electricity. Businesses lose revenue during outages. Families lose food and essential household supplies. Students struggle to study. Hospitals and critical services face additional operational challenges. Public confidence is weakened whenever disruptions occur without clear communication.

The deeper issue may not simply be the outages themselves, but the growing trust deficit between citizens and institutions. When people receive limited explanations or repeated assurances without visible improvements, rumors inevitably fill the information vacuum.

Vanessa Raïssa Uwase's comments captured a sentiment increasingly heard across the country: many Rwandans are less interested in technical explanations than in seeing consistent, reliable electricity service restored. Whether the causes are regional grid failures, infrastructure weaknesses, vandalism, maintenance challenges, or management shortcomings, citizens ultimately judge the system by one standard: whether the lights stay on.

Until that happens, public frustration is likely to continue growing.