Members of Parliament have expressed concern over delays by the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) in connecting customers to the national electricity grid following the company’s takeover of electricity distribution services.
The Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (Central), Hon. Patrick Nsamba, said more than 400,000 Ugandans who had paid for electricity connections while UMEME was still the distributor had not yet been connected.
The concerns were raised as Parliament sought explanations from officials over the slow pace of new electricity connections.
Responding to the committee, UEDCL Acting Managing Director Joselyn Rwakakooko attributed the delays to inadequate funding for the maintenance of electricity substations inherited from the former UMEME concession, as well as procurement delays for electricity meters.
She said the company is working to address the challenges and improve the speed of customer connections.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Irene Batebe, told legislators that the ministry is working with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) to shorten procurement timelines for critical equipment required for electricity distribution.
The government says the planned procurement reforms are expected to accelerate the acquisition of meters and other essential materials, enabling UEDCL to connect more customers to the national grid.
