For the past two days, the city of Baidoa has been completely without electricity, causing widespread disruption and serious hardship for residents across the city. The sudden power outage occurred without any prior notice or official explanation, deepening public frustration and concern.
Baydhabo currently relies on a single electricity provider, BECO, which operates as the sole supplier of power in the city. No other companies are permitted to provide electricity services, effectively giving BECO a monopoly over the sector. Residents say this lack of competition has resulted in poor service delivery and limited accountability, particularly during prolonged outages such as the current one.
Local residents have voiced repeated complaints about the quality and reliability of electricity services, citing frequent blackouts, lack of communication, and the absence of consumer-friendly responses from the company. The ongoing outage has affected households, businesses, health facilities, and other essential services, further straining daily life in the city.
Members of the Baydhabo community argue that opening the electricity sector to multiple providers would create healthy competition, improve service quality, stabilize supply, and lead to more reasonable pricing. Many believe that a competitive market would also compel service providers to be more responsive to customer concerns and operational challenges.
As the outage continues, residents are calling on the relevant authorities to establish a fair and transparent system that allows open business competition. They stress that access to reliable electricity is a basic service and should be delivered consistently, with clear standards and accountability to meet public needs.