Umeme has asked for the public support in the fight against power theft and vandalism.
In an operation that was conducted in Kawempe division a number of illegal connections were discovered and disconnected.
John Nuwamanya, the marketing manager Kampala East and North East said over eight people have been arrested over alleged power theft in the areas of Bwaise , Kalerwe and the surrounding areas.
“So far we have made nine arrests because of illegal connections. Those caught will be prosecuted in accordance with the laws of Uganda,"he said.
He noted that sometimes, follow up is made in some areas where an operation was done and culprits are found when they have reconnected themselves again.
He said such kind of behaviour shows impunity.
“A lot of our meters have been tampered with by installing foreign resisters to slow them down. They have bypassed the meters. We have also seen so many illegal connections,” he said.
He noted that illegal connections have led to massive loss of revenue.
He said 26% of the power dispatched to Kawempe division is lost due to illegal connections.
“In absolute terms ,4 million units of power are stolen every month from this region that translates into a loss of Shs 2 billion on a monthly basis,” he said.
He urged the members of the public to stop the habit of power theft. Instead, he called upon everybody to cooperate with Umeme
