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With the takeover of UMEME's operations less than a week away, the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL), has announced plans to implement lasting solutions to the persistent power blackouts in Kampala and other parts of the country.
These outages, which have worsened with the onset of the rains this March, have caused considerable inconvenience, particularly in the Central Business District (CBD).
Big investments in power infrastructure
Speaking on UBC TV this Monday morning, Jonan Kiiza, the spokesperson for UEDCL reassured the public that the company is committed to resolving the issue through major investments in power lines.
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Kiiza said they hope to greatly improve power reliability by December 2025.
We are not only focusing on access, where we plan to onboard over 300,000 new customers to the national grid this year, but we are also aiming to create a favourable environment for more investors, which will attract further industrial development
From November last year, we started rolling out investments including transformers, cables and other items to ensure that on D-Day on April 1st, we are going to embark on making the network good.
We know that we are not going to achieve this in one day or one week; but when you look at the spread of the targeted investments, we are so sure that by the time this year closes, you will have forgotten anything to do with blackouts.
Umeme blamed for blackouts
The spokesperson acknowledged that power reliability, especially in the CBD, has been a long-standing issue.
He attributed the unreliability to over 24 months of underinvestment in the power network by UMEME.
"Since the government’s decision not to renew UMEME’s concession, there have been no new investments in the network. Even three months of non-investment would have caused a crisis," Kiiza explained.
The Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development is in the advanced stages of securing US$50 million through internal borrowing to support UEDCL capital investments.
By the end of this week, these funds will be available to ensure that UEDCL is financially equipped to improve the quality of service