More than 500 residents living in Kizito and Kalongo zones in Luweero Town Council have spent nearly a month without electricity, prompting urgent calls to the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) to restore power and prevent further disruption to livelihoods and rising insecurity.
The affected communities, including surrounding areas in Kalongo and Kizito, say they have been forced to endure prolonged darkness, with some residents describing their situation as “sleeping early like chickens” due to the extended blackout.
Residents and business owners report that the persistent power outage has contributed to a rise in crime, particularly theft and break-ins, as darkness provides cover for criminal activity.
Many small businesses have also been forced to close earlier than usual to avoid potential losses.
Mathew Mutabaazi, a school owner in Kalongo, said he has already spent over Shs 6 million on generator fuel since the outage began, describing the situation as financially draining.
“We went to inquire about the situation and were told the issue might only be resolved next month, which worries us because we are already struggling and still believe that statement was a consolation,” Mutabaazi said.
He is among several affected business operators, including vendors dealing in perishable goods such as milk, pineapples, and other fresh produce, who say they are suffering significant losses as they struggle to preserve stock without electricity.
Nathan Lumu, the area councilor, said local leaders have repeatedly engaged UEDCL officials but have yet to receive a lasting solution.
“Whenever you go there, they promise ‘tomorrow’ or ‘soon,’ but nothing changes. People are losing patience and may resort to protests,” Lumu warned.
He added that frustrations among residents are rising, with growing threats of demonstrations targeting UEDCL offices if the situation persists.
Luweero District Chairperson Erasto Kibirango acknowledged the crisis and said he had also engaged the power distributor. According to him, UEDCL has now pledged to resolve the issue within five days.
“They told us that two transformers are needed—one for the police area and another for Kalongo. They have promised to fix the problem within five days to restore normal supply and curb rising crime,” Kibirango explained.
In response to public concerns raised on its official X platform, UEDCL acknowledged the outage and apologized for the inconvenience.
“We do regret the inconvenience. The main line had earlier faulted, with some parts failing to restore. These are being sorted to enable the entire line to be put back. Kindly bear with us as that is finalised,” the company stated.
Despite the assurances, residents remain anxious but hopeful, emphasizing that swift restoration of electricity is critical not only for economic recovery but also for safety and daily life stability in the area.