The Manager of the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), SPA Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, has hosted officials from the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) who acknowledged persistent electricity supply challenges and attributed some of the disruptions to vandalism, network constraints and growing demand.
The delegation, comprising Ibrahim Kasita, ERA’s Principal Engagement Officer, and Costa Nantume from the Consumer Affairs Department, visited Namyalo at ONC Offices in Kyambogo to respond to concerns she recently raised over prolonged power outages, delayed connections and the performance of Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL).
Kasita said vandalism was among the major challenges affecting electricity distribution, alongside pressure on infrastructure that has struggled to keep pace with increasing demand.
“Vandalism is among the major challenges affecting electricity distribution, while network constraints and growing demand continue to put pressure on the system,” Kasita said.
He explained that Uganda’s electricity challenges were not simply a result of inadequate generation capacity, but also the limitations of transmission and distribution infrastructure.
“By the end of 2025, Uganda’s installed generation capacity stood at approximately 2,098 megawatts, against maximum demand of 1,345.3 megawatts. However, overloaded transformers and substations, ageing equipment and network faults continue to affect the reliable delivery of electricity to consumers,” he said.
Namyalo welcomed the delegation’s visit, commending ERA for responding to the concerns raised by her office, but called for faster action to improve electricity supply.
“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.
Namyalo said the challenges required greater accountability and urged Parliament to investigate the funds reportedly handled by UEDCL, as well as delays affecting customers who had already paid for electricity connections.
“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,” she said.
She also questioned whether the responsible institutions had sufficient manpower to address the persistent challenges, calling for a stronger and more coordinated response from the agencies responsible for electricity distribution.
Connection backlog and network upgrades
On the delayed connections, Kasita said UEDCL was working to clear the backlog, with a target of completing the outstanding connections by the end of December 2026.
“UEDCL has connected approximately 159,000 customers year-to-date, and the target is to clear the existing connection backlog by the end of December 2026,” he said.
Kasita attributed some of the delays to shortages of electricity meters and other connection materials, adding that additional supplies and faster procurement were expected to support the connection programme.
He said network improvements were also underway to reduce outages and strengthen electricity distribution in areas experiencing recurring faults.
“UEDCL replaced 1,110 distribution transformers in the year to July 2026. Other interventions include increasing the capacity of Kawanda Substation from 40 MVA to 80 MVA, developing a new Matugga Substation and addressing faults affecting Entebbe, Namasuba and Kisubi,” he added.
He said the interventions are intended to ease pressure on the distribution network and improve the reliability of electricity supply as demand continues to grow.
Namyalo calls for coordinated action
Namyalo urged ERA, UEDCL, the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and other government agencies to work together to resolve the challenges and ensure that the planned interventions deliver tangible results.
She said unreliable electricity was particularly damaging to rural communities and small businesses, including welders, salon operators and maize millers whose livelihoods depend on a stable power supply.
Namyalo argued that rural communities were an important constituency for President Yoweri Museveni and that challenges affecting their livelihoods also had implications for the government’s socio-economic transformation agenda.
In response, Kasita assured Namyalo that Ugandans should begin to see improvements in electricity supply within six months as the responsible agencies implemented measures to address outages and connection delays.
He said the interventions were intended to strengthen the network and improve the reliability of electricity reaching households and businesses.
Namyalo urged the agencies to honour the commitment, saying the priority should be to ensure that Ugandans benefit from more reliable electricity and that public investments translate into improved services.
The engagement comes amid growing public concern over electricity reliability and access following UEDCL’s takeover of distribution operations from Umeme in April 2025.
