ERA Urges Electricity-Connected Households to Switch From Charcoal as Ban Enforcement Intensifies

What the report says

Uganda’s Electricity Regulatory Authority is urging households that already have grid connections to move from charcoal to electric cooking, as police step up enforcement of restrictions on charcoal production and trade in parts of northern and eastern Uganda. The appeal comes as authorities continue operations linked to President Yoweri Museveni’s Executive Order No. 3 of 2023, which targets charcoal activities in West Nile, Northern Uganda, Karamoja and the Teso sub-region.

According to the report by Nile Post, ERA consumer affairs head Julius Wandera said electric cooking can be affordable for connected households and pointed to the separate “Fumba” cooking tariff. He also encouraged consumers facing persistent power outages to report them to the regulator so utilities can respond. The message is aimed mainly at households already on the electricity grid; it does not resolve the situation for communities without access to power, especially in rural areas.

Police meanwhile said they recovered 275 bags of charcoal in operations in Amuru and Pakwach districts earlier in October, with arrests made in connection with the seizures. The article also notes that earlier enforcement actions in Nwoya District led to arrests and the impounding of vehicles. Authorities say the campaign is meant to curb deforestation and environmental damage, while critics and affected communities face the practical issue of livelihoods and the need for affordable alternatives.

More broadly, the report places the crackdown within Uganda’s wider push for cleaner cooking solutions, including electricity, biogas and solar. It also notes that legal and policy reforms on efficient cooking are under way, but access, reliability and cost remain key barriers.