By Joselynne R. Rwabwogo

Almost everywhere I go, I am asked the same question: Why does our electricity keep going off?

Sometimes it comes from a business owner whose operations have been interrupted, a manufacturer worried about production losses, or a parent frustrated by another evening without electricity. Often, there is a second question: What exactly is Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) doing about it?

These are fair questions, and Ugandans deserve clear answers.

I understand the frustration. Electricity is essential to our homes, businesses and livelihoods. When supply is interrupted, the consequences go far beyond inconvenience. For businesses, it means lost revenue. For manufacturers, it can mean disrupted production. For households, it means uncertainty and disruption to everyday life.

At UEDCL, we recognise that customers judge us by whether electricity is available when they need it and how quickly we restore supply when something goes wrong.

That is the standard we must meet.

A growing network under pressure

In 2021, Uganda had approximately 1.64 million electricity customers. Today, that number has grown to 2.78 million, an increase of nearly 70% in five years.

This is welcome progress. More households and businesses connected to electricity mean greater opportunities for economic growth, improved livelihoods and better access to essential services.

But this growth also places increasing pressure on the infrastructure responsible for delivering electricity to customers.

Investment in the distribution network has not kept pace with the expansion in demand. Some of the equipment supporting the network has been in service for decades, making it increasingly difficult to maintain reliable supply.

About 40% of the switching equipment in our substations has been in service for more than 25 years. Some equipment is so old that replacement parts are no longer readily available.

Meanwhile, electricity demand has grown by approximately 60% in four years.

The strain is evident in parts of the network. Mutundwe substation is operating at 130% of its rated capacity, while Busunju is at 124%. Both are carrying considerably more demand than they were designed to handle.

Think of a road designed for a particular volume of traffic. As more vehicles use it without the road being expanded, congestion becomes inevitable. Our electricity distribution network faces a similar challenge.

Overloaded equipment is more vulnerable to faults. When a component fails, limited spare capacity can make it difficult to redirect electricity through alternative routes. As a result, an interruption that might otherwise affect a small number of customers can leave a much wider area without supply for hours.

These challenges have accumulated over several years and cannot be resolved overnight. They require sustained investment in infrastructure, alongside improvements in maintenance, fault detection and customer service.

But explaining the problem is only the beginning. Customers want to know what we are doing to fix it.

What we are doing to restore reliability

Our immediate priority is to reduce interruptions and restore supply faster when faults occur.

One important intervention is replacing failed distribution transformers. When a transformer breaks down, an entire neighbourhood can lose electricity, sometimes for an extended period while a replacement is sourced and installed.

In the year to July 2026, UEDCL replaced 1,110 distribution transformers, exceeding our target. We have also increased the availability of transformer materials in our stores from 44% to 50%, helping us address replacement delays.

These interventions matter because faster access to essential equipment can shorten restoration times and reduce the number of customers affected by prolonged outages.

We are also undertaking targeted improvements in areas experiencing persistent interruptions.

In Entebbe, we have upgraded sections of overloaded electricity lines. In Mukono, an alternative supply route has been introduced to improve voltage stability.

In Mubende, network changes reduced recorded outages from 12 in one month to three the following month. We have also installed a new transformer to increase supply capacity.

Along the Bombo corridor, the commissioned Kasana substation provides an additional electricity supply source, helping relieve pressure on existing infrastructure.

These are practical interventions aimed at addressing specific weaknesses in the network. While they may not immediately resolve every interruption, they form part of the broader effort to improve the reliability of electricity distribution.

Investing in infrastructure for the future

Some of the challenges we face require more substantial investment and engineering work.

At Mutundwe, planned upgrades are expected to reduce loading from 130% to approximately 65%. This would significantly ease the pressure on the substation and provide greater capacity to serve customers.

The new Maya substation has been completed, with work underway to connect it to the surrounding distribution networks. Once fully integrated, it is expected to strengthen supply options and improve the network’s ability to respond to faults.

Reliable electricity is equally important for industrial growth, where interruptions can affect production, employment and investment.

In western Uganda, work is underway to integrate the Mirama Hills substation into the distribution network. The project is intended to improve supply to more than 30,000 households and 700 commercial customers across Isingiro, Ntungamo, Rukungiri and parts of Rwampara.

Among the anticipated beneficiaries is an iron-processing factory in Ntungamo that requires approximately 7 megawatts of electricity.

Projects of this nature demonstrate why distribution infrastructure is not simply about keeping the lights on. It is also about creating the conditions for businesses to expand, industries to operate efficiently and communities to benefit from economic opportunities.

We are working with Government and other electricity sector partners to accelerate these projects, recognising that some interventions require more time to complete.

Our responsibility is to ensure that the work translates into tangible improvements for customers.

Reliability requires more than infrastructure

Even as we invest in substations, transformers and distribution lines, we must improve the way UEDCL operates.

Customers should not have to make repeated calls to find out why their electricity is off or when it will be restored. They deserve timely information, clear communication and a responsive service.

This means strengthening fault detection, deploying technical teams more effectively and improving response times. It also means communicating proactively during interruptions instead of leaving customers to search for updates.

We must become better at anticipating problems, identifying vulnerable sections of the network and addressing faults before they escalate into prolonged outages wherever possible.

We are also addressing electricity losses, which stood at approximately 17.9%, down from 18.5% at the transition. We have reassigned 372 field staff to strengthen inspections, address illegal connections and improve accountability.

Reducing losses is important because electricity that is generated and purchased but not effectively delivered or accounted for places additional pressure on the sector. Better operational efficiency supports the sustainability of the distribution business and its ability to serve customers.

These changes may not always be immediately visible to the public, but they are essential to building a more reliable and accountable organisation.

Customers deserve results, not just explanations

I know that for someone who has spent hours without electricity, explanations about ageing infrastructure, overloaded substations and investment requirements offer little comfort.

What that customer wants is simple: for the power to return and for the interruption not to happen again.

That expectation is reasonable.

We must therefore be honest about the challenges without allowing them to become excuses for poor service. We must acknowledge where the network is under pressure, explain what is being done and demonstrate measurable progress.

Reliability is not achieved through a single project or intervention. It requires continuous investment, effective maintenance, adequate equipment, skilled personnel, operational discipline and accountability at every level.

It also requires listening to customers. Their experiences help us identify persistent problems, understand the impact of outages and assess whether our interventions are making a difference.

At UEDCL, our responsibility is not simply to explain why the electricity goes off. It is to resolve the underlying problems, communicate openly about our progress and deliver improvements that customers can experience.

Keeping pace with Uganda’s growth

Uganda’s growing electricity demand is a sign of progress. More connections, expanding businesses and new industrial investments are increasing the importance of a reliable distribution network.

Our responsibility is to ensure that the infrastructure, systems and organisation managing electricity distribution keep pace with that growth.

The work is underway, from transformer replacements and targeted network improvements to substation upgrades and stronger operational processes. Some results can be achieved quickly; others require sustained investment and time.

But the direction must remain clear: fewer interruptions, faster restoration, better communication and a more reliable electricity supply for households and businesses.

Ugandans are right to ask difficult questions about the electricity they depend on every day. They are also right to expect answers that are matched by action.

At UEDCL, we understand that trust is earned not through promises, but through performance. Our task is to turn the investments we are making and the improvements we are implementing into a service that customers can depend on.

That is the commitment we must deliver on.

The writer is the Managing Director of the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL)