MPs grill UEDCL bosses over delayed power connections, blackouts
Responding to the MPs’ concerns, UEDCL Acting Managing Director Joselynne Rwakakooko said the company had received limited funding to undertake timely maintenance of some electricity substations inherited from the UMEME concession
KAMPALA, August 4, 2026 – Members of Parliament [MPs] have demanded answers from the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited [ UEDCL ] over delays in connecting Ugandans who have paid for the service to the national grid, with lawmakers questioning the company’s performance nearly a year after government took over the distribution network from UMEME Limited.
The Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee [Central Government], Patrick Nsamba, said UEDCL had received more than Shs 500 billion in funding since the government took over the electricity distribution network from UMEME in 2025, but Ugandans had yet to see significant improvements in service delivery.
“Ugandans were promised big things about the transition. Government said UMEME was expensive and it wanted to make bigger investments. Since the buyout, you have received several loans and also inherited infrastructure, but Ugandans are not seeing the progress,” Nsamba said.
Betty Naluyima, the Wakiso District Woman Representative, raised concerns about UEDCL’s human resource capacity to handle customer complaints and ensure timely service delivery.
“Can UEDCL tell us whether UMEME had many staff? Because on customer feedback, we used to have a WhatsApp channel where responses were timely, but now the public does not know where to report,” Naluyima said.
Responding to the MPs’ concerns, UEDCL Acting Managing Director Joselynne Rwakakooko said the company had received limited funding to undertake timely maintenance of some electricity substations inherited from the UMEME concession.
“Infrastructure capability is not static. Even if you inherit a substation and do not increase its capacity on time or carry out timely maintenance, it will deteriorate and its performance will not be optimal. Over the past three years, the investment has not been as required to maintain the infrastructure,” Rwakakooko said.
Irene Batebe, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, under which UEDCL falls, told the parliamentary committee that since the UMEME buyout in 2025, government had provided UEDCL with funding worth US$ 79 million [about Shs 477 billion], which she said had been tied up in procurement processes for transformers and substations.
“One of the key risks that we foresaw UEDCL would face was the procurement delay risk arising from the PPDA law. We worked with PPDA and they certified the company to apply shorter procurement cycles so that we are able to procure this equipment outside the typical long PPDA process,” Batebe said.
She clarified that UMEME had transferred the entire electricity distribution network and associated assets to UEDCL, adding that 96 per cent of former UMEME staff had been assimilated into the company.
“For the last one year, we have been working on issues of culture management. When you marry two cultures, you must ensure they mellow to be able to work together,” Batebe added.
Nsamba further pressed UEDCL over the slow progress in connecting Ugandans who had already paid for electricity connections before the end of UMEME’s concession.
“Prior to the closure of UMEME, many Ugandans paid their money and UMEME was supposed to connect them. They have never been connected up to today. The public needs to get assurances that they will be worked on,” Nsamba said.
Hope Nakazibwe, the Mubende District Woman Representative, said there had been no new electricity connections in the district for a long period.
Abdallah Kiwanuka, the Mukono County North MP, also questioned UEDCL over delays in providing electricity connections to communities in his constituency.
“There are several villages in my constituency where we have asked for transformers for over three years. What is the priority for getting them? Is it on a first-come, first-served basis?” Kiwanuka asked.
Rwakakooko told MPs that the biggest challenge facing UEDCL had been the availability of electricity metres for customers who had applied for connections.
She said nearly 77,000 connections had been made this year using the materials available.
“As metres come in, we are going to go back for all the customers who are ready to connect. One of the things we are focusing on as far as metre supply is concerned is the local suppliers, who are relatively new. We had a supply challenge in meeting demand, but as of July, we had received over 100,000 metres to begin clearing the backlog,” Rwakakooko said.
Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country-wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news
