A two day campaign in Kampala, Gulu, Mbale and Mbarara brought together energy sector workers, ERA staff and members of the public to support Uganda’s blood supply.

The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) and Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS) have collected 839 units of blood through a two day donation campaign aimed at supporting health facilities facing blood shortages.

The campaign, held from October 19 to 20, 2026, covered Kampala, Gulu, Mbale and Mbarara. It brought together ERA staff, stakeholders in the electricity supply industry and members of the public to donate blood for patients requiring transfusions.

The donations are intended to support medical services that depend on reliable blood supplies, including emergency treatment, care for accident victims, surgical procedures and other critical interventions.

Ms Diana Nambi, ERA’s Manager of Public Relations and Consumer Affairs, said the campaign formed part of the authority’s corporate social responsibility programme, which prioritises health, education and environmental conservation.

“As a community-oriented institution, ERA’s responsibility extends beyond regulating the electricity supply industry to improving the welfare of the communities we serve. We are pleased to have contributed to this life-saving initiative, which will give hundreds of Ugandans a new lease of life,” Ms Nambi said.

She also thanked ERA employees, energy sector stakeholders and members of the public who took part in the exercise, highlighting the contribution of voluntary blood donation to the country’s healthcare system.

The campaign reflects ERA’s broader approach to community engagement, extending its activities beyond its core responsibility of regulating the electricity supply industry. Through its corporate social responsibility programme, the authority supports initiatives intended to improve community welfare and promote environmental sustainability.

In the environmental sector, ERA has supported the protection of spring wells in different parts of the country. It has also undertaken tree planting initiatives to restore catchment areas of rivers that support hydropower generation projects in the central, western, West Nile and northern regions.

The authority also runs the Women in Energy project, an annual initiative that encourages young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Through the programme, women working in the energy sector interact with schoolgirls, share their professional experiences and encourage them to consider careers traditionally dominated by men. Since its launch in 2019, the project has reached more than 50,000 young women in 58 schools across the country through physical engagements and inspirational talks by female professionals.

The blood donation campaign adds a healthcare component to these community programmes. By working with UBTS, ERA is contributing to efforts to strengthen the supply of blood for patients whose treatment depends on timely access to safe blood.

However, the published account does not specify the number of individual donors who participated, how the 839 units were distributed among health facilities, or the length of time the collected blood is expected to support hospitals. Those details would help establish the campaign’s precise contribution to the country’s blood supply.

For now, the reported total provides a measure of the exercise’s immediate output, while the partnership between ERA and UBTS highlights the role that public institutions, industry stakeholders and individual volunteers can play in supporting essential healthcare services.

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