NSAMBA TO UEDCL: Ugandans are not seeing progress

What the report says

Legislators in Kampala have questioned the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) over slow electricity connections and ongoing blackouts, saying households are still waiting for visible improvement after the state took over the network from Umeme. The discussion took place in Parliament during an interaction with UEDCL officials, with Public Accounts Committee chair Patrick Nsamba leading the criticism.

According to The Independent Uganda’s report, Nsamba said UEDCL has received substantial public funding since the Umeme buyout in 2025, but many citizens have not felt any change in service. Other MPs raised similar concerns, including delays in customer support, shortages of transformers in some constituencies and long waits for new connections. Betty Naluyima and Abdallah Kiwanuka said residents were struggling to get responses and equipment needed to connect to the grid.

UEDCL Acting Managing Director Joselynne Rwakakooko told MPs that the company has faced maintenance and supply constraints, especially for inherited substations and electricity meters. She said the company had managed thousands of connections this year with available materials and had recently received additional meters to reduce the backlog. Energy ministry permanent secretary Irene Batebe said government funding has been affected by procurement procedures, though she said measures were taken with regulators to speed up the process.

The issue matters because Uganda’s power distribution transition was presented as a major reform intended to improve reliability and expand access. The debate now highlights public pressure on UEDCL to show faster results, especially in connecting paying customers and improving service stability.