If you’ve spent a day or more without electricity lately, you’re not alone — and if you haven’t yet felt that familiar silence from your sockets and switches, chances are your turn is coming soon.
The Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) is marking the halfway point of its ambitious, month-long national electricity network maintenance and upgrade schedule, part of its post-Umeme transition efforts to stabilize and modernize Uganda’s power distribution infrastructure.
According to a rollout plan seen by the Nile Post, the works began on May 2, 2025, and are set to continue until May 30, targeting critical maintenance activities such as transformer servicing, rotten pole replacements, line clearance, switchgear repairs, and reconductoring across all regions of the country.
If you’ve spent a day or more without electricity lately, you’re not alone — and if you haven’t yet felt that familiar silence from your sockets and switches, chances are your turn is coming soon.
While UEDCL spokesperson Jonan Kiiza did not respond to multiple requests for comment, the rollout document indicates the utility is executing the plan “to enhance reliability, reduce outages, and restore safety to parts of the grid long neglected under the previous operator.”
UEDCL officially assumed power distribution operations on April 1, 2025, after Umeme’s 20-year concession expired at the end of March.
In the years leading up to the transition, Umeme had largely limited itself to patchwork fixes, with minimal investment in new infrastructure, leaving behind a decaying grid riddled with aging components and outdated systems.
“This May plan is part of a broader effort to rehabilitate and upgrade the inherited infrastructure,” the rollout states.
“Several of the works, including transformer maintenance and pole replacement, are designed to have minimal or no impact on customer supply.”
Major Works Across the Country
In the Central region, maintenance activities are ongoing in areas such as Kitintale, Ntinda, Kabalagala, and Kajjansi, with transformer servicing and conductor tensioning works scheduled throughout the month. Parts of Kampala North, Entebbe, and Waligo are also affected by targeted sectionalisation to improve fault detection and response.
The Northern region, including Lira, Kitgum, and Gulu, is witnessing widespread vegetation clearance and MV pole replacements. For example, communities along the Apac/Masindi 33kV line are being upgraded to improve voltage stability and reduce tripping.
In Eastern Uganda, districts like Soroti, Mbale, and Jinja are undergoing intensive work, especially in industrial corridors. Companies such as Bidco, MMI Steel, and Madhvani Steel are in zones where UEDCL teams are carrying out switchgear servicing and line reconductoring.
The Western and Southwestern regions, including Kabale, Mbarara, Masindi, and border towns like Kisoro, are benefiting from recloser installations and HV structure replacements aimed at stabilizing the hilly, often weather-vulnerable terrain.
Special infrastructure zones such as Serena Hotel, Sheraton, Uganda Chic (Waligo), and Namanve Industrial Park are also included in the plan, with high-priority switchgear maintenance and transformer oil treatments scheduled through the end of May.
Outlook and Customer Advisory
While the majority of the works are expected to proceed without full-scale blackouts, some areas will experience brief load management or temporary service disruptions, especially where equipment replacement or live-line servicing is deemed unsafe.
In its rollout, UEDCL advises customers to stay alert to public announcements and engage local leadership in affected regions for updates.
“The maintenance interventions will help restore capacity in long-neglected areas, reduce unplanned outages, and prepare the grid for growing demand,” the document notes.
This ongoing work underpins UEDCL’s broader pledge to modernize Uganda’s power infrastructure, including future plans for grid digitization, substation upgrades, and accelerated rural electrification.
“This May effort is only the beginning. We are committed to sustainable investment in every corner of the country,” UEDCL’s internal note reads.
The final week of works is expected to focus on infrastructure-sensitive areas like Kampala Industrial Zones, Bukwo, Matuga, and high-density towns in Lira and Dokolo, closing a critical chapter in the national power transition.