By Aggrey Baba
As Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) intensifies its grip on electricity distribution following Umeme’s exit, a new crisis is unfolding in homes, markets, and business districts across the country (not just in darkness, but in danger).
A wave of erratic and prolonged power outages is not only destabilising the national grid but also threatening lives, destroying property, and wiping out livelihoods, raising serious questions about the true cost of Uganda’s energy transition.
In Gayaza, a family barely escaped with their lives after a kettle left plugged in during a blackout reignited when power abruptly returned. “There was thick smoke spreading from the kitchen to my bedroom,” recalls a family, who grabbed her child and ran through flames as a fire consumed their sitting room, kitchen, and most of their appliances. An investigation traced the cause to a power surge triggered by the unstable supply.
Across town in Kira, a pork dealer had to shut down his butchery after three days of power instability in May caused UGX 4 million worth of meat to rot in his freezers. According to him, even with a heavy-duty inverter he bought for UGX 7.8 million, it can’t save him when the outages go on too long.
The losses are mounting, from milk vendors in Mbarara to hair salons in Mbale, with many pointing to food spoilage, fire hazards, and expensive repairs as a direct consequence of the recent wave of blackouts.
UEDCL, in response to rising public concern, says the outages are a result of deliberate efforts to overhaul an outdated power infrastructure that is struggling to serve an expanding population, saying they’re replacing rotten poles, fixing transformers, and upgrading overloaded substations, according to Jonan Kiiza, UEDCL’s Corporate Affairs Officer, adding that the system is under pressure from a 12.7 percent rise in consumption, especially in high-demand urban zones.
But while officials insist the upgrades are necessary for long-term reliability, frustration is boiling over as short-term damage deepens.
In rural areas like Lorengocora Sub-county in Napak District, residents say the blackouts are nearly permanent, and they barely have any power, yet they are paying rent and running
Meanwhile, health experts warn of mounting food safety concerns. Perishable foods such as milk and meat become unsafe within hours of power cuts, with foodborne illnesses likely to rise if the outages persist.
The Ministry of Energy has admitted that Uganda’s grid is overloaded, with some transformers operating far beyond capacity. Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) estimates that power losses through faulty infrastructure are as high as 20% in some regions.
The government insists it is building for the future, but with no clear end date in sight, many Ugandans are finding it harder to stay hopeful, saying these outages are like labour pains.
Until then, many continue to live in fear, not just of darkness, but of what might come with it, for example fire, food poisoning, and financial ruin.
