Power Blackouts: Is UEDCL seated on a good cache of resources?

What the report says

Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) is facing renewed scrutiny over persistent power outages, slow fault repairs and poor customer service more than a year after it took over the electricity distribution network from Umeme. In a report published by The Independent Uganda, the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) said the utility should already have had the resources needed to operate effectively, arguing that the central problem is not funding but how those resources are being put to use.

At a stakeholder consultation in Kampala, ERA’s Director of Economic Regulation, Dr Geoffrey Okoboi, said government and regulatory arrangements had already provided for UEDCL’s needs before the transition. UEDCL, however, told the same meeting that it had committed about $300 million in capital and operating spending but had not yet received the equipment and materials it expected. The company said procurement delays, including issues linked to the Buy Uganda, Build Uganda policy, have affected the supply of transformers, meters and related items.

UEDCL also acknowledged internal challenges, including personnel, process and systems problems, as well as vandalism and supply-chain disruptions. The utility said management and board-level changes were under way, but that the turnaround was taking time. The article notes that the transition from Umeme to UEDCL took effect on April 1, 2025.

The debate matters because it goes to the heart of Uganda’s power distribution performance: whether the state-owned operator has enough capacity and procurement flexibility to restore reliable service, or whether implementation failures are prolonging blackouts for consumers.