KAMPALA, April, 28, 2025 – The Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited [UEDCL], which officially assumed power distribution responsibilities from UMEME Ltd. on April 1, 2025, has unveiled a 100-day roadmap aimed at restoring and improving the country’s electricity network. The plan prioritises new customer connections, system upgrades, and capital investment rollouts.
The roadmap was presented during a public forum hosted by local policy group Kigo Thinkers at the Electricity Regulatory Authority [ERA] headquarters in Kampala, where UEDCL officials provided updates on the post-transition developments.
Protaze Tibyakinura, UEDCL’s Chief Engineer and Technical Services Officer, acknowledged the challenges encountered in the first weeks. “The first 15 days have not been easy,” he said. “We were prepared for a complex transition and are making progress despite the initial hurdles.”
UEDCL announced that new customer connections would resume next week. “We have materials in our stores and are currently packaging and distributing them to regional offices. Connection lines will open next week,” Tibyakinura confirmed. He also reassured the public that all pending connection applications from UMEME’s tenure will be honoured at no extra cost.
In May, UEDCL will begin implementing ERA-approved capital projects, including the deployment of approximately 500 transformers to replace or support existing overloaded units across the country. “Many transformers are under strain, contributing to power outages. These investments will enhance network reliability and quality,” Tibyakinura said. Contractors are expected to commence work by the end of April.
Larger infrastructure developments—such as network extensions, new substations, and major refurbishments—are scheduled for May and June. Tibyakinura emphasised that funding would not be a limiting factor in 2025.
Responding to recent blackouts, he cited transitional challenges, including delays in recruitment and inherited faults like non-functional transformers. Nonetheless, UEDCL has already replaced about 200 faulty transformers and rebuilt 300 structures damaged by storms, contributing to a notable improvement in network performance.
ERA Chief Executive Officer Ziria Tibalwa Waako revealed that UEDCL has been allocated US$100 million (approximately UGX 370 billion) for network restoration and infrastructure upgrades over the next nine months. “UMEME has never received this level of funding in any given year,” she noted. The funds, part of a government seed investment, will be recovered through electricity tariffs to ensure UEDCL’s sustainability.
ERA has set ambitious performance targets for UEDCL. These include reducing technical and commercial energy losses from UMEME’s 16 percent to 14.59 percent this year, with further reductions expected in the years to follow as the country moves towards universal electricity access by 2030. UEDCL is also expected to maintain revenue collection efficiency above 99.85 percent, supported by prepaid household meters and automated metering systems for industrial consumers.
In a bid to enforce greater accountability in public institutions, all government ministries, departments, and agencies will be migrated to prepaid three-phase meters.
Representing the outgoing distributor, UMEME’s Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer, Blessing Nshaho, highlighted the company’s achievements during its 20-year tenure. “We have handed over a vastly transformed grid,” he said.
Customer numbers rose from Shs 250,000 to over Shs 2 million, with 220,000 new connections made in the past year alone. Annual revenue increased from Shs 160 billion to Shs 2.5 trillion. The number of installed transformers grew from 5,000 to 17,000, while transmission capacity expanded from 500 MVA to 2,500 MVA. UMEME also extended power lines from 17,000 kilometres to 44,000 kilometres and digitised customer service and operational systems.
Nshaho further noted a significant drop in energy losses, from 38 percent to 16 percent, along with enhanced bill collection rates. The company handed over 16 substations, including newly constructed and refurbished switching stations. During its stewardship, Uganda’s electricity access rate rose from 5 percent to 57 percent, including off-grid solutions.
As UEDCL embarks on this new chapter, both ERA and former UMEME officials stress the importance of stakeholder cooperation, sustainable financing, and customer engagement to ensure a reliable and inclusive electricity distribution system for Uganda.
Meanwhile, UEDCL says its system has eliminated workers known as “kamyufus.” Officials say they have a fully registered list of all wiremen, licensed by the regulator [ERA], who are on the database. The government-owned company has also automated all electricity applications. Its Managing Director Paul Mwesigwa also says that those caught vandalising electrical installations will be charged under the utility court
https://thecooperator.news/uedcl-to-spend-over-shs-40-billion-in-nine-months-after-umeme-exit/
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