Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has announced plans to introduce separate electricity lines for city shops, commercial buildings, and apartments.
The initiative aims to address long-standing complaints from tenants and traders about landlords overcharging them for electricity.
Many tenants have reported paying exorbitant fees disguised as electricity bills, in addition to rent. UEDCL Managing Director Paul Mwesigwa said the problem often arises when meters are combined.
“This normally happens when meters are shared. But in recent developments, especially in pre-wired structures, we are installing individual meters for commercial buildings and apartments,” he said.
Mr Mwesigwa added that UEDCL has submitted proposals to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), urging that all new building plans include wiring that allows each shop or apartment to connect directly to the service cable and obtain its own meter. While new structures can be designed to accommodate individual meters, older arcades remain a challenge.
“Most existing arcades were not designed for individual metering. Landlords have been encouraged to rewire, but it is an expensive undertaking,” he said.
The announcement came during the commissioning of the Kampala South Substation on Entebbe Road, where the Assistant Resident City Commissioner for Kampala, Mr Geoffrey Sserwadda, raised concerns about traders being forced to pay up to Shs800,000 for just two lights in their shops, despite already paying millions in rent.
“It feels like traders are being robbed. This is a serious electricity problem that must be addressed,” he said.
Alongside the metering reforms, UEDCL has completed a major upgrade of the Kampala South Substation, increasing its capacity from 20MW to 34MW. The upgrade, which included the installation of a new 10/14MVA transformer, is part of a nationwide grid optimisation programme to boost p reliability.
Mr Enock Mwebesa, UEDCL’s head of engineering services, explained that the substation had been overstretched due to rising demand from surrounding areas served by 15 low-voltage powerlines. This often led to evening outages when both households and businesses were consuming power.
“We added a second transformer of 14MVA, raising total capacity to 34MW. This will meet the demand of over 192,000 customers and eliminate the issue of overload,” Mr Mwebesa said.
Mr Mwesigwa also said the upgrade has transformed power reliability in areas such as Salama, Kigo, Najjanankumbi, Kisubi, Makindye, and Kabowa.
“With the new capacity, outages will only occur due to minor local issues, not major line failures. Moving from 20MW to 34MW is a 70 percent increase—fundamentally significant,” he said.
UEDCL’s next step is to upgrade feeders— the lines that distribute power from substations to homes and businesses— to match the new capacity. Other substations already enhanced under the programme include Kakiri, Kabale, Masaka, Kumi, and Mubende.
