Eronda
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 16, 2025
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Across Kampala, planned power cuts have become an unwelcome part of daily life, disrupting businesses, households and hospitals.
Electricity officials say the frustration is temporary, arguing the outages are the price of rebuilding a power network that has struggled to keep pace with one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities.
The Greater Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project is now 90.57 per cent complete, according to a joint statement issued on July 23 by the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited and the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited.
UETCL chief executive officer Richard Matsiko and UEDCL managing director Joselyn Rwabwogo inspected the works as the companies sought to explain why customers have continued to experience planned outages.
“We understand the inconvenience these planned outages have caused to businesses and residents across the Kampala Metropolitan Area,” Matsiko said.
The project is designed to strengthen the high-voltage network that carries electricity into Kampala and surrounding areas before it is distributed to homes, shops and factories.
In simple terms, transmission lines are the major highways of the electricity system. They carry large amounts of power over long distances. Substations then reduce or redirect that electricity before distribution lines deliver it to consumers.
Electricity demand in the metropolitan area is increasing by an estimated 15 per cent each year, according to the statement. That means the network must serve significantly more homes and businesses every year, even before large new industrial projects are connected.
The Maya substation in Buloba, built to handle power at 220, 132 and 33 kilovolts, has been completed. A kilovolt measures electrical pressure: the higher the voltage, the more electricity a line can move efficiently over long distances.
Other works are continuing, including the construction of a new substation at Mukono and upgrades at Kawaala, Mutundwe and Bujagali. Existing 132-kilovolt transmission lines are also being “re-conductored”, meaning their wires are being replaced or improved so they can carry more electricity safely.
The project also includes new transmission lines and a mobile substation at Namungoona. A mobile substation can be moved or deployed where needed to restore or strengthen supply while permanent equipment is being repaired or upgraded.
These works sometimes require planned shutdowns. Engineers must switch off sections of the network to protect workers, customers and equipment while new lines are connected or existing substations are modified.
The project is financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency through a concessional loan of 13 billion Japanese yen, which the statement values at about US$83.3 million. A concessional loan is financing offered on more favourable terms than an ordinary commercial loan, usually through lower interest rates or a longer repayment period.
UETCL is implementing the project, while China Machinery Engineering Corporation and Toyota Tsusho Corporation form the contracting consortium.
Source : The observer.
Also Read:UEDCL ackknowledges Power Interruptions