ERA Promises Better Power Supply As Hajjat Namyalo Demands Accountability Over UEDCL

The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) has pledged improvements in Uganda’s electricity supply within six months, as the Office of the National Chairman (ONC) Manager, SPA Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, pressed energy sector officials to address persistent outages, delayed connections and questions surrounding the utilisation of public funds handled by Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL).

The commitment was made during a meeting at the ONC offices in Kyambogo, where ERA officials visited Namyalo to respond to concerns she had raised about electricity distribution following UEDCL’s takeover of operations from Umeme in April 2025. The discussions focused on the causes of unreliable power, the growing backlog of customer connections and measures being taken to improve service delivery.

The ERA delegation comprised Ibrahim Kasita, the authority’s Principal Engagement Officer, and Costa Nantume from its Consumer Affairs Department. They acknowledged that consumers continued to face challenges, pointing to vandalism, overloaded infrastructure, ageing equipment and rising demand as some of the factors undermining reliable electricity distribution.

Kasita said Uganda’s electricity supply challenges could not be attributed solely to the amount of power generated, noting that weaknesses in the transmission and distribution networks continued to prevent some consumers from receiving a dependable service.

By the end of 2025, Uganda had an installed electricity generation capacity of approximately 2,098 megawatts, against a maximum demand of 1,345.3 megawatts, according to figures presented during the engagement. Despite the difference between installed capacity and peak demand, Kasita said network limitations, transformer overloads, substation constraints and equipment faults remained significant obstacles.

“Vandalism is among the major challenges affecting electricity distribution, while network constraints and growing demand continue to put pressure on the system,” Kasita said.

His explanation shifted attention to the infrastructure required to deliver electricity from generation facilities to homes, institutions and businesses. For consumers experiencing repeated outages, the distinction is important because available generation capacity does not automatically guarantee uninterrupted supply at the point of use.

Namyalo welcomed ERA’s decision to engage her office but insisted that explanations needed to be accompanied by practical improvements. She said the continued delays were especially frustrating for customers who had already paid for electricity connections but were still waiting to be served.

“I welcome ERA’s visit and appreciate their decision to come and clarify the issues we raised. However, we need to see faster action because Ugandans deserve reliable electricity, and those who have paid for connections should not continue waiting without being connected,” she said.

Beyond the immediate service delivery concerns, Namyalo called for greater scrutiny of UEDCL’s financial management. She asked Parliament to investigate the Shs1.71 trillion reportedly handled by the company, arguing that an independent forensic audit would help establish how the funds had been utilised.

“We need a forensic audit of the Shs1.71 trillion reportedly handled by UEDCL to establish how the money was utilised. Parliament should also investigate the outstanding connections and establish why customers who have paid are still waiting for electricity,” Namyalo said.

Her call placed accountability alongside the technical challenges facing the sector, raising questions about whether the resources available to the distribution company were translating into timely connections and improved services for consumers.

Namyalo also questioned whether the responsible institutions had sufficient personnel to deal with the recurring faults and growing workload. She urged ERA, UEDCL, the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and other relevant agencies to coordinate their efforts rather than address the problems in isolation.

On the connection backlog, Kasita said UEDCL had connected approximately 159,000 customers during 2026 up to the time of the briefing and was targeting completion of outstanding connections by December 2026.

He attributed some of the delays to shortages of electricity meters and other materials required to connect new customers. Additional supplies and faster procurement processes, he said, were expected to support efforts to clear the backlog.

The figures and deadline offer a measure against which the company’s performance can be assessed in the coming months, particularly by households and businesses that have paid connection fees but have yet to receive electricity.

Kasita also outlined infrastructure improvements intended to reduce outages and strengthen the distribution network. He said UEDCL had replaced 1,110 distribution transformers in the year to July 2026, while work was being undertaken to increase the capacity of Kawanda Substation from 40 megavolt amperes to 80 megavolt amperes.

Other interventions include plans to develop a new substation at Matugga and efforts to address faults affecting Entebbe, Namasuba and Kisubi. The projects are intended to ease pressure on the network and improve the reliability of supply in areas experiencing recurring disruptions.

However, Namyalo said the significance of the interventions should ultimately be judged by their impact on ordinary Ugandans, particularly those whose incomes depend on a stable electricity supply.

She cited rural enterprises and small businesses, including welding workshops, salons and maize milling operations, as among those affected when power becomes unreliable. For such businesses, prolonged outages can interrupt production, delay customer orders and increase operating costs.

Namyalo said the effects extended beyond individual businesses to rural livelihoods and the government’s broader socio-economic transformation agenda. She argued that communities expected to benefit from government programmes needed reliable public services to support their economic activities.

The concern also highlights the importance of extending reliable electricity services beyond major urban centres, where demand for power continues to grow alongside commercial activity. For rural entrepreneurs, access to electricity is not simply a household convenience but an essential input for expanding businesses and creating income opportunities.

In response, Kasita assured Namyalo that consumers should begin seeing improvements within six months as the responsible agencies implemented measures to address outages and connection delays. He said the planned interventions were intended to strengthen distribution infrastructure and improve the delivery of electricity to households and businesses.

Namyalo urged the agencies to honour that commitment, stressing that consumers needed tangible results rather than further explanations for persistent service failures.

The engagement comes as UEDCL continues to manage electricity distribution following its takeover from Umeme in April 2025. With the company facing public scrutiny over reliability, connection delays and its operational performance, the coming months will test whether the announced investments and corrective measures can produce meaningful improvements.

For consumers, the immediate measure of success will be whether electricity connections are completed within the promised timelines and whether homes and businesses experience fewer interruptions. For regulators and government agencies, the challenge will be to demonstrate that available resources, infrastructure upgrades and stronger coordination can translate into a more dependable electricity service.

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