Uganda is taking bold steps to expand electricity access and improve service reliability as the country’s energy demand grows.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development on Tuesday detailed major upgrades being undertaken by the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) to modernize the national grid.
Addressing the media at the Media Centre, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, said that annual energy demand has grown at an average rate of 10%, driven by industrial growth and increasing household connections.
She acknowledged that the transition period following the UMEME concession constrained investment in the distribution network, affecting reliability.
“Since UEDCL assumed full responsibility, we have made critical upgrades to substations at Kakiri, Kabale, and Masaka Central, expanded transformer capacity, and connected 140,000 new households to electricity,” Nankabirwa said.
The Ministry has also secured land for new substations at Magyigye and Kawempe and plans to refurbish nine substations, inject 518 new transformers, and expand 40 medium-voltage lines by the end of 2025.
Most components are locally sourced under the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) policy, strengthening both the power sector and domestic industries.
While celebrating these achievements, the Minister also addressed persistent challenges such as vandalism and power theft.
“Acts of vandalism have continued to undermine progress, causing unnecessary outages. I urge all citizens and leaders to join us in protecting this infrastructure,” she said.
To curb electricity theft, the Ministry launched the Weterezeeee Campaign, giving users with tampered or bypassed meters a chance to regularize their connections without penalties.
Over 22,937 Ugandans have already participated, and the campaign has been extended to October 31, 2025.
Nankabirwa further reminded citizens of the Free Electricity Connections Policy under the Electricity Access Scale Up Project (EASP), which supports no-pole and one-pole connection services for underserved communities.
“The government remains fully committed to investing in modern, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure to meet the growing demand for electricity,” Nankabirwa said. She encouraged Ugandans to embrace lawful electricity use while supporting efforts to expand access and improve reliability.
