Traders under the National Entrepreneurs and Traders Association (NETA) Uganda have called for the resignation of Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) acting managing director, Eng Joselynne Rwabwogo, accusing her of failing to address persistent power outages that they say are causing heavy business losses.
The traders are also pushing for a tough investigation by the government into the operations of the power distributor
NETA president and founder Dr Thadeus Musoke Nagenda said frequent blackouts, particularly during the ongoing rainy season, have disrupted business operations and damaged electrical equipment belonging to traders.
Musoke told reporters on Thursday that the situation had worsened in recent weeks, leaving businesses struggling to operate and meet their financial obligations.
He said traders were particularly concerned about power fluctuations when electricity is restored, which he blamed for damage to appliances and other equipment.
“We are calling for the immediate resignation of the acting MD UEDCL Eng Joselyn Rwabwogo [over her] failure to provide stable and reliable power supply to the community,” Musoke said.
Traders in Kampala, he said, had initially welcomed Rwabwogo’s appointment, hoping she would improve electricity distribution and address longstanding challenges in the sector.
“We were initially pleased when she was appointed but since she took office, things have gone from bad to worse,” he said.
Musoke called for an independent audit of UEDCL’s operations to establish the causes of the recurring outages and determine whether the company is managing its resources effectively.
He also announced that NETA had started collecting complaints from traders who claim to have lost goods or equipment because of power interruptions.
“For now we are mobilising and calling upon Uganda traders who have lost their valuable goods [and] equipment as a result of power issues to come to our offices, visit our portal or send us an email. We are compiling all these cases,” Musoke said.
Concerns have been mounting over electricity reliability in Kampala and other parts of Uganda, where consumers have reported repeated interruptions to supply.
The outages have raised questions about the condition of the country’s electricity distribution infrastructure and UEDCL’s capacity to meet rising demand.
UEDCL has acknowledged the challenges, attributing the interruptions to ageing infrastructure, overloaded substations and a sharp increase in electricity connections.
In a recent explanation, the company said the number of electricity customers had increased from 1.64 million in 2021 to 2.78 million in 2026, representing growth of nearly 70 per cent.
Electricity demand has also risen by approximately 60 per cent over the past four years, placing additional pressure on a distribution network that has not received sufficient investment to match the growth.
According to UEDCL, about 40 per cent of the switching equipment at its substations is more than 25 years old. Some of the equipment is difficult to repair because replacement parts are no longer readily available.
The company identified Mutundwe and Busunju among the substations experiencing significant pressure.
Mutundwe is operating at approximately 130 per cent of its capacity, while Busunju is running at 124 per cent.
UEDCL explained that such overloads increase the risk of equipment failure and make it harder to restore electricity after interruptions.
The distributor has, however, outlined several measures intended to improve reliability.
It reported replacing 1,110 distribution transformers in the year ending July 2026 as part of efforts to strengthen the network.
The company has also undertaken improvements in Entebbe, developed an alternative electricity supply route for Mukono and carried out interventions in Mubende.
