Power utility firm, Umeme has said that processes have been finalised to ensure that Kiruddu Hospital gets a dedicated power line. “Cable has been procured and delivered to stores, service contract awarded to Power Distribution Technologies Limited (PODITECH), materials being issued, site works commenced mid October 2022,” Peter Kaujju, Umeme Head of Communication & Marketing says. The utility firm notes that Referral hospitals have critical facilities that need stable and quality electricity supply “All Referral Hospitals except Mulago National Referral Hospital are all supplied from distribution feeders as any other domestic, commercial, or industrial customer. Referral Hospitals have critical facilities…
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A 30-year-old mother in Kabalagala sustained electric shocks and burns when she came into contact with an energised metallic wash line. She was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital. In Jinja, a 15-year-old girl was electrocuted whilst hanging clothes on a metallic wash line that was energised by a live jointed cable attached to a metallic roof. These are some of many incidents of lives lost in slum areas as a result of coming into contact with energised metallic wash lines. This is usually as a result of hooking power or power theft by individuals who put lives of…
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Communities in Greater Mityana have been cautioned against illegal power connections which not only pose a glaring safety risk but also compromise the quality of electricity and increase energy losses. Speaking during a Stakeholder engagement meeting in Mityana with Area Members of Parliament and District Leaders, Umeme’s Head of Metering Services Victoria Namubiru said, “Power theft not only endangers the communities but also affects the reliability of supply and the network. We request you the district leadership to remind the communities about the dangers of power theft because electricity kills,”. Namubiru cautioned the public to be vigilant and report any…
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Residents of Kitimba and Mpanga in Butambala were in a joyous mood as electricity distributor Umeme switched on lines co-funded by the Government of Uganda and KfW this week. They say their future is brighter owing to the benefits of electricity with their eyes focused on commercial activity. Mathew Kakooza, a resident of Kitimba couldn’t hide his excitement at the new prospects of electricity in his village. “Our people are now able to engage in commercial activities to boost their income due to opportunities such as milling machines, pop corns and welding amongst others. Our children are now able to…
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By Peter Kaujju For the past two months, I have been using Old Port Bell Road to exit the city after work. Just like many streets in Kampala, the road chokes on vehicular traffic during morning and evening rush hours. This road is one of many transport arteries with clear traffic signs, and is enhanced with human guides, yet many motorists do not pay attention to either. Strange, isn’t it? Yes, it sounds strange but not surprising and shocking. Old Port Bell Road crosses an active railway line. Whenever I drive along this stretch, I observe two young men, who…
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Leading power distributor Umeme has picked up the threads of the anti–power theft operation it launched in March. It has fanned out from Central Uganda, Jinja, 80 kilometres East of Kampala, and now to Mbale city, even farther East with an excursion in Bukedi region launched yesterday. The operation is meant to check illegal connections, meter tampering, and to ensure bills due are settled. It comes on the heels of the increase in energy losses by one percentage point – from 16.4% to 17.5% – between 2019 and 2020. To underscore the importance of the task, Umeme together with local…
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Power distributor Umeme has reached out to customers about the recovery of electricity arrears for the benefits enjoyed by some customers in December 2020. Peter Kaujju, the Head of Communications at Umeme, explained that in December 2020, some customers received more units (excess credit) than they paid for or were charged double standard service fees. He explained that the excess credit was/will be recovered during the March/April 2021 transactions, while those who were charged double standard service fee have or will be refunded in their next transactions. “All the affected customers will or have already been notified by SMS. All…
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Power distributor Umeme has launched countrywide operations against suspected electricity thieves. This follows a rise in energy losses from 16.4% in 2019 to 17.5% 2020. The increase is attributed to the suspension of drives against illegal connections following the Government-imposed lockdown in March through June 2020 to check COVID-19. Now that the restrictions are eased, Umeme, working with Uganda Police, has resumed the operations to curb power theft dubbed Komboa. Peter Kaujju, the Head Communications at Umeme while speaking during the launch of Komboa at the Umeme Mutundwe Substation said, “Komboa is swahili for ‘Redeem.’ In Umeme’s case, to redeem…
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Leading power distributor Umeme has embarked on stakeholder engagement meetings with various stakeholders across the country, starting with Northern Uganda to explain the company’s planned projects aimed at improving power reliability in the communities. The main objective of the meetings was to inform customers in the districts of Lira, Gulu and Kitgum, about the scheduled supply reliability improvements projects in the month of February, and the likely short term impact in terms of outages and supply interruptions to customers. As such this will affect supply in the entire northern region. All the shutdowns will run from 08:00am to 06:00 on…
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The number of households opting for customer-funded connections to the national power grid is now at 5,283. Power distributor Umeme reveals it received these applications between December 2020 and January 2021. The government had earlier in December implored eligible applicants that can afford to pay for connections to do so. Peter Kaujju, Head of communications at Umeme said, “We have received about 5,283 applications to date of which 2,337 have so far been connected to the grid. We have been able to connect people within a space of four working days even when the regulatory days range between 10 and…
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