The Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has registered 648,404 new customer connections in just six months since taking over operations from Umeme, according to the company’s Managing Director, Paul Mwesigwa.
Speaking at the State House Investors’ Protection Unit (SHIPU) meeting on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, Mwesigwa revealed that the number of connections had risen from 1,782,085 in April to 2,430,489 by September.
He also noted that grid-connected households grew from 1,687,267 to 2,327,898 in the same period.
Other achievements include an expansion of the national grid from 3,431 km to 5,140 km and an increase in installed generation capacity from 1,362 megawatts to 2,049 megawatts. UEDCL also recorded a drop in energy losses from 19.1% to 16.8%.
“The government took a fundamental decision to take over all the privately operated concessionaires. In that regard, the government has actually scored very well,” Mwesigwa said, commending the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) for accrediting UEDCL, which he said had accelerated new connections.
The SHIPU meeting, now in its fifth edition, was chaired by Patrick Birungi, the Executive Director of Uganda Development Corporation. It was attended by several senior government officials, including PPDA Executive Director Benson Turamye, Makerere College of Health Sciences Principal Prof. Bruce Kirenga, and Uganda Energy Credit Capitalization Company (UECCC) representative Desmond Tutu Opio.
Opio highlighted UECCC’s efforts to expand renewable energy access, citing achievements such as the distribution of over 20,200 solar lanterns, 306,000 home systems, 307 biomass cookstoves, 1,190 solar-powered water pumps, and 277 solar-powered refrigerators in remote districts.
He said the entity has partnered with 27 financial institutions and 87 energy companies under a $110m subsidy scheme supported by the World Bank, GIZ, and the Dutch government.
Despite the progress, PPDA’s Turamye raised concerns about persistent vandalism affecting rural power access, while other leaders urged the government to intensify publicity of its achievements through mainstream and digital media.
Birungi announced that upcoming platforms such as the NBS TV Economic Forum, the NTV Economic Summit, and planned collaborations with New Vision and UBC will be used to showcase government successes in the energy and development sectors
