KAMPALA, Uganda — Members of Parliament (MPs) have criticised the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) over mounting delays in connecting customers to the national electricity grid, warning that hundreds of thousands of Ugandans remain without electricity despite having paid for the service.
The concerns were raised during a session of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (Central), where UEDCL officials appeared to account for the growing backlog following the company’s takeover of electricity distribution from UMEME.
Committee Chairperson Patrick Nsamba said more than 400,000 customers who paid connection fees under UMEME’s concession are still waiting to be connected months after UEDCL assumed responsibility for electricity distribution.
The legislators questioned why customers who had already met the financial requirements for electricity access continued to face lengthy delays despite the transition to government-operated distribution.
Responding to the committee, UEDCL Acting Managing Director Joselyn Rwakakooko attributed the delays to infrastructure and procurement challenges inherited during the transition.
She said several electricity substations require urgent maintenance, while the company is also grappling with delays in procuring electricity meters needed to complete customer connections.
According to Rwakakooko, the inherited infrastructure requires significant investment before additional customers can be connected safely and reliably.
The officials maintained that efforts are underway to address the bottlenecks and gradually reduce the backlog.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development Irene Batebe acknowledged the challenges and said government is working to speed up the acquisition of critical equipment.
She told MPs that the ministry is engaging the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) to shorten procurement timelines for essential electricity materials, including meters and other network components.
Batebe said streamlining procurement procedures is expected to accelerate customer connections and improve service delivery across the country.
The government’s intervention comes as Uganda seeks to expand electricity access to support industrialisation, economic growth and household electrification.
During separate proceedings before Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of increasing welfare concerns involving Ugandan migrant workers, particularly those employed in Gulf countries.
Permanent Secretary Vincent Bagiire told legislators that labour externalisation has significantly increased the number of Ugandans requiring consular assistance abroad.
He said the ministry is handling growing numbers of distress cases, welfare complaints, requests for repatriation and reports involving vulnerable migrant workers.
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Bagiire called for closer coordination among government institutions responsible for labour migration to strengthen oversight of recruitment agencies and improve protection mechanisms for Ugandans working overseas.
He also urged intensified public awareness campaigns to combat human trafficking and educate prospective migrant workers about safe labour migration procedures.
The discussions reflected broader parliamentary concerns over government service delivery and citizen welfare.
While MPs pressed UEDCL to accelerate electricity connections for customers who have already paid, lawmakers also emphasised the need for stronger protections for Ugandans seeking employment abroad.
The twin concerns underscore increasing parliamentary scrutiny of public institutions as government agencies face pressure to improve accountability, efficiency and the delivery of essential services.
