The Government of Uganda is moving decisively to address challenges in its electricity distribution network, driven by a commitment to power the nation’s rapidly expanding industrial and domestic demand.
In a media briefing held on October 7, 2025, at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Dr. Canon Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, provided a comprehensive update on the progress and strategic measures being implemented by the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) since it assumed full operational responsibility from UMEME.
Hon. Nankabirwa noted that the Ministry’s key focus is to overcome reliability and quality issues stemming from constrained capital investments during the latter stages of the UMEME concession, a period that coincided with an average annual energy demand growth of 10%.
“Over the past years, our annual energy demand has grown at an average rate of 10%. This has been driven largely by increased industrial consumption and the growing number of new customer connections,” Hon. Nankabirwa said.
“This growth coincided with the UMEME concession transition period in which capital investments in the distribution network were constrained due to the short capital mobilisation and investment recovery period,” she added, noting that, “This created a period of reduced capital investments within the distribution network, which has affected the reliability and quality of power supply.”
Wins in Upgrades and New Connections
She explained that since taking over the distribution network, UEDCL has prioritised rapid infrastructure upgrades to mitigate the immediate reliability challenges faced by consumers. The upgrades include infrastructure expansions and new connections in previously underserved parts of the country.
Critical Infrastructure Expansion
The Minister revealed that UEDCL has completed critical substation upgrades, immediately boosting power capacity in key regional hubs, which include:
Kakiri: Substation expanded from 10MW to 20MW.
Kabale: Substation expanded from 2.5MW to 5MW.
Masaka Central: Substation expanded from 5MW to 7MW.
Service Delivery Milestones
In a clear demonstration of increased activity, the Minister stated that UEDCL has also:
Replaced 206 faulty transformers, directly improving local supply quality and connected a total of 140,000 new customers to the national grid.
Strategic Investment and the BUBU Policy
Looking ahead, Hon. Nankabirwa highlighted that UEDCL has laid out an ambitious roadmap for the remainder of 2025 and beyond, underpinned by a commitment to local content, and it includes the following;
Planned 2025 Network Improvements
She noted that by the close of 2025, UEDCL plans to further boost reliability through:
The refurbishment of nine substations.
The injection of 518 new transformers.
The expansion of 40 medium-voltage lines.
Securing land for new substations at Magyigye and Kawempe.
Sustaining Local Industry
The Minister emphasised that most of the new components being installed are sourced locally, aligning with the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) Policy. This strategy, she pointed out, not only ensures prompt equipment availability but also supports the growth of local industries, such as those manufacturing transformers, to meet the sector’s growing demands.
She also revealed that the government has further reinforced this long-term vision by approving UEDCL’s five-year investment strategy, ensuring substantial, sustained capital investment in the distribution network.
Fight Against Vandalism and Theft
Minister Nankabirwa highlighted the persistent challenge of vandalism in several regions (including Kololo, Mukono, Kayunga, Masaka, Mpigi, Luwero, Nakasongola, Mityana, Mubende, and Mbarara), which she said continues to cause unnecessary outages and undermine progress.
“The Ministry is actively collaborating with security organs to combat this menace,” she cautioned.
To address both vandalism and power theft, Hon. Nankabirwa said the Ministry launched the Weterezeeee Campaign, which encourages users with direct supply, bypassed, or tampered meters to voluntarily regularise their connections without penalties.
She revealed that to date, over 22,937 Ugandans have responded to the voluntary compliance call.
To enable more Ugandans to benefit from the initiative, Nankabirwa announced that due to its success, the campaign has been extended until October 31, 2025.
Furthermore, the government is proceeding with the Free Electricity Connections Policy under the Electricity Access Scale Up Project (EASP), which supports no-pole and one-pole connections, urging citizens to contact UEDCL offices for service.
The Minister concluded with a strong reassurance: the government is fully committed to investing in resilient and sustainable distribution and transmission infrastructure to match the nation’s fast-growing demand.