The Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has started installing bird guards along the Waligo 33kV feeder, a key electricity interconnector between the Kawanda and Waligo substations, in a move aimed at reducing frequent outages caused by bird-related faults.
The feeder supplies a load of 13.2MW to several residential and commercial areas, including Gayaza, Kyanja, Kungu, Masooli, Busukuma, Nangabo, Nalyamagonja, Komamboga, Kitetitka, Namere, Lusanja, Kiteezi and Kitala, as well as industrial customers such as Ugachick.
According to Kassim Kasana, the project lead, the line has experienced persistent reliability challenges, recording an average of five bird-related faults every month over the past four months.
Kasana said investigations established that a recently opened landfill located directly beneath the feeder route had contributed to the increase in network interruptions by attracting large numbers of marabou storks.
The birds, he said, use the 33kV distribution poles and cross arms as resting points between scavenging periods, increasing the risk of electrical faults.
“Due to their size, their wings frequently bridge the strict clearance gap between live conductors and grounded structures when taking off or landing, resulting in repetitive, high-current phase-to-ground transient faults,” Kasana said.
He said installing bird guards will help eliminate frequent transient faults, improve network reliability, protect utility revenue and ensure compliance with wildlife conservation requirements.
Kasana said UEDCL is implementing the intervention in line with National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) guidelines on protecting biodiversity, noting that marabou storks are a protected wildlife species in Uganda and cannot be eliminated or displaced.
“By installing bird guards, we have ensured that marabou storks drawn to the landfill can safely land on utility structures without completing an electrical circuit. The birds will be insulated from fatal electrocutions, simultaneously protecting the storks and preventing costly grid outages,” he said.
The bird guards are designed to prevent birds from coming into direct contact with electrical components while allowing them to continue using the structures safely.
Jimmy Kiggundu, the Area Engineer for Namugongo, said the intervention is expected to significantly improve electricity supply reliability in the affected areas.
“Once installation is completed this month, power supply will be more stable and reliable,” Kiggundu said.
UEDCL said the project is part of broader efforts to improve distribution network reliability while balancing infrastructure protection with environmental conservation.
