By Swift Reporter
The Manager of the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), SPA Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, has pressed electricity sector regulators for urgent action on persistent power outages, delayed connections and accountability in the management of funds handled by the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL).
Namyalo made the call during a meeting with officials from the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), who visited the ONC offices in Kyambogo to respond to concerns she had raised about electricity supply and distribution.
The delegation comprised Ibrahim Kasita, ERA’s Principal Engagement Officer, and Costa Nantume from the authority’s Consumer Affairs Department.
Kasita acknowledged persistent distribution challenges, citing vandalism, overloaded infrastructure, ageing equipment and growing electricity demand as factors affecting reliable supply.
He said Uganda had an installed electricity generation capacity of approximately 2,098 megawatts by the end of 2025, against peak demand of 1,345.3 megawatts, but warned that generation capacity alone did not guarantee reliable electricity delivery.
“Vandalism is among the major challenges affecting electricity distribution, while network constraints and growing demand continue to put pressure on the system,” Kasita said.
He explained that overloaded transformers and substations, ageing equipment and network faults continued to disrupt supply despite the available generation capacity.
Namyalo welcomed ERA’s engagement but called for faster interventions, particularly for customers who had paid connection fees but were still waiting for electricity.
“Ugandans deserve reliable electricity, and those who have paid for connections should not continue waiting without being connected,” she said.
She also called for a forensic audit of the Shs1.71 trillion reportedly handled by UEDCL, urging Parliament to establish how the funds were utilised and investigate the outstanding connection backlog.
“We need a forensic audit of the Shs1.71 trillion reportedly handled by UEDCL to establish how the money was utilised,” Namyalo said.
She further questioned whether the responsible institutions had adequate staffing and resources to address recurring outages and connection delays.
On the backlog, Kasita said UEDCL had connected approximately 159,000 customers during 2026 up to the reporting period and was targeting to clear outstanding connections by December 2026. He attributed some delays to shortages of electricity meters and other connection materials.
He also cited ongoing network improvements, including the replacement of 1,110 distribution transformers by July 2026, plans to increase Kawanda Substation’s capacity from 40 MVA to 80 MVA, development of a new Matugga Substation and interventions targeting faults in Entebbe, Namasuba and Kisubi.
Kasita assured Namyalo that consumers should begin seeing improvements in electricity supply within six months as the interventions take effect.
Namyalo urged ERA, UEDCL, the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and other relevant agencies to coordinate their efforts and deliver measurable improvements.
She said unreliable electricity was hurting rural communities and small businesses, including welders, salon operators and maize millers whose livelihoods depend on a stable power supply.
The meeting comes amid continued public scrutiny of electricity distribution following UEDCL’s takeover of the network from Umeme in April 2025.