Summary:
The Minister noted that these disruptions could persist until April 2025 as the government seeks funding to strengthen the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) in preparation for Umeme’s takeover.
KAMPALA: The Minister of Energy, Ruth Nankabirwa, has urged Ugandans to bear with the ongoing power outages, attributing them to the transition period following Umeme’s impending exit.
She noted that these disruptions could persist until April 2025 as the government seeks funding to strengthen the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) in preparation for Umeme’s takeover.
Her remarks came in response to concerns raised by Brenda Nabukenya, the Woman MP for Luwero District on Tuesday during plenary sitting, who decried the severe power shortages in her area. According to Nabukenya, Luwero has been receiving electricity for only 2 to 6 hours a day over the past two months, significantly affecting businesses and health facilities.
“Luwero has gone nearly one and a half months with unreliable power supply. It comes for just a few hours between 2 and 6 and then goes off again. This is unsustainable. Businesses cannot rely on generators, and health facilities need steady electricity for storing vaccines and essential medicines. Electricity is not free we pay for it so why should we keep demanding a service we are entitled to? Umeme has failed to deliver, and they must ensure we have electricity,” Nabukenya stated.
Minister Nankabirwa acknowledged the challenges, explaining that the government’s decision not to invest further in Umeme before the concession’s expiry on February 28, 2025, had led to reduced investment by the company itself.
As a result, response times to power failures whether due to transformer breakdowns, fallen trees, or other faults have slowed.
“We are in the final stages of Umeme’s concession, which officially ended on February 28, 2025. We are currently in the transition period. Since the government chose not to invest more in Umeme, the company also reduced its investments, limiting our ability to respond swiftly to power outages,” Nankabirwa explained.
However, she reassured Parliament that efforts are underway to address the issue, citing a loan proposal currently before Parliament.
If approved, the funding will help UEDCL prepare for the transition and improve its ability to respond to outages efficiently.
“I promise that by April 1, 2025, this situation will improve significantly if Parliament approves the loan, which includes funds for UEDCL. This will allow the company to respond promptly to power issues without lengthy bureaucratic delays. I ask MPs and the public to bear with us during this temporary inconvenience. In the meantime, I will verify if there are any additional causes of the outages and work towards a resolution,” Nankabirwa assured.
