The Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has announced that it will begin a new electricity connection line next week.
This announcement was made during a Baraza organized by Kigo Thinkers in partnership with the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), held at ERA House in the industrial area.
The event attracted members of the public who raised several concerns, with the most recurring issue being UEDCL's readiness to take over power distribution.
Mr. Tibyakinura Protaze, the Chief Operations Officer at UEDCL, assured the public of their preparedness to manage the distribution task. He emphasized that the company possesses all the necessary equipment and capital to execute the mandate effectively.
Tibyakinura highlighted that significant progress has already been made since UEDCL took over from Umeme just two weeks ago. He said the focus so far has been on restoring power and addressing the rampant outages that occurred during the transition.
"For April until today, we have concentrated on the restoration and addressing outages that were rampant. You know, by the time we took over the rains had been there. We have concentrated on restoration, making sure that the networks are relatively stable to go back to when Umeme was operating at the normal time," he said.
When asked about their plans for the near future, Tibyakinura disclosed that UEDCL is set to commence new connections next week, with all materials already available and being distributed to local offices.
"By next week, we are going to start a new connection. We have materials in the stores. We are now packaging distributing to our local offices. So the new connection line is going to be open next week," he said.
He also reassured those who had pending connection requests under Umeme that they would be connected free of charge, provided they meet the required conditions.
"Umeme left a number of pending connections in the system. Of course, people are asking, so what's going to happen, Umeme has left? I want to assure every Ugandan that if you have satisfied all the requirements and conditions that are required for the connection to be made, we are going to connect you at no extra cost. You will not be going to pay anything, but the connections will be made," Tibyakinura confirmed.
ERA Executive Director Eng. Ziria Tibalwa Waako addressed public concerns, saying the majority of Ugandans are primarily interested in secure and reliable electricity.
She promised improved service delivery, stating that UEDCL has the capacity and support to invest just like Umeme did.
"I want to confirm that UEDCL has been facilitated to invest the same way Umeme has been facilitated to invest. UEDCL has shareholders who are not broke. The shareholders of UEDCL are not broke, and the same consumer who has been paying for electricity and human recovery has already started to pay, and UEDCL is recovering, and UEDCL is investing. So I really want also to allay that fear," she noted.
Ziria further stated that ERA's role is to ensure UEDCL does not collapse and performs even better than Umeme.
Mr. Blessing Nshaho, the Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer at Umeme, also spoke at the Baraza, highlighting the company’s achievements during its concession.
He noted that Umeme started with 250,000 customers and grew the customer base to 2.2 million, adding nearly 100,000 annually, with 230,000 added last year.
He also mentioned a significant rise in revenue, from shs160 billion annually to over shs2.5 trillion. Energy losses were reduced from 38% to 16%, and distribution efficiency improved from 48% to 84%, with a customer-to-staff ratio increasing from 216 to 780.
However, Ziria noted that UEDCL has been tasked with reducing energy losses further from 16% to 14.59% within the first nine months of operation.
Dr. Frank Ssebbowa, an electricity expert, reflected on Uganda’s power sector transformation—from a state of chaos to one gaining continental recognition.
Commenting on the contentious Umeme-government agreement that ended with Umeme walking away with a significant payout, Dr. Ssebbowa said the decision was necessary at the time.
"Back then, we needed Umeme. Government didn't know what electricity sector was all about," he added.