The Minister of Energy, Ruth Nankabirwa, has called on Ugandans to remain patient amid persistent power outages, warning that disruptions may continue until April 2025. This follows the government’s ongoing efforts to secure funding to strengthen the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) in preparation for taking over operations from Umeme.
“I want to assure you that by April 1, 2025, we will have overcome these challenges if Parliament approves the loan that includes funding for UEDCL. This support will greatly help us ensure UEDCL is ready to respond to power issues without delays caused by lengthy financial procedures,” Minister Nankabirwa stated. She urged Members of Parliament and the public to bear with the temporary inconvenience, adding that she would investigate any other underlying causes of the outages.
The minister attributed the current electricity supply challenges to the transition period following the end of Umeme’s concession on February 28, 2025. She explained that the government had stopped investing in Umeme before the concession ended, leading to reduced investments by the company itself. As a result, there have been delays in addressing power failures caused by transformer breakdowns, damaged power lines, and other technical issues.
Her remarks were in response to concerns raised by Brenda Nabukenya, the Luwero District Woman Representative, who lamented that Luwero has only been receiving electricity for 2 to 6 hours a day over the past two months.
The government’s decision to end Umeme’s 20-year concession, announced three years ago, aims to improve efficiency, reduce power losses, and lower operational costs to make electricity more affordable for consumers.
However, the transition comes at a cost, as 191 employees are set to lose their jobs when UEDCL assumes full control of electricity distribution. Minister Nankabirwa revealed that the government was unable to absorb all Umeme staff due to redundancy concerns.
