Nearly a year and a half after the government took over electricity distribution from Umeme, many Ugandans say the promised better service has turned into deeper frustration.

On social media and in communities across the country, customers are complaining of prolonged blackouts lasting days, expensive bills, and unresponsive customer care. A post by one citizen, Kamukama Fredie, captured the mood of many: “We all celebrated when the government took over electricity distribution from Umeme, hoping for better services. But today, we are facing expensive electricity, prolonged power outages and poor customer care.”

He noted that some managers at UEDCL are former Umeme employees and called on President Museveni to urgently look into the company’s affairs. “We fought for change from Umeme because we wanted better services, not a change of name with the same frustrations,” he wrote.

The official UEDCL account has been responding to individual complaints with reference numbers and promises of escalation, but many customers say the responses rarely translate into restored power within a reasonable time. On Sunday, UEDCL itself posted that transmission constraints from the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) had caused a partial power outage affecting parts of the country, adding that its technical team was working with UETCL to restore supply. The message drew hundreds of replies, many of them sarcastic or angry, with some users openly saying they now miss Umeme.

The complaints are not limited to social media. Parliament’s Natural Resources Committee recently grilled UEDCL and sector officials over worsening loadshedding. MPs cited multi-day weekly outages in places such as Buliisa’s Biso Town Council, fortnightly darkness in Kazo, and villages in Busiro North that still lack reliable power. Committee chairperson Dan Kimosho expressed anger, accusing the sector of “gaslighting Ugandans choking on darkness.” Some MPs have gone further, demanding the removal of former Umeme staff whom they suspect of sabotage or inefficiency.

According to reports presented to Parliament, power outages nearly doubled and average restoration times rose from about 12 hours to nearly 20 hours after UEDCL took over in April 2025. Officials have attributed the problems to ageing and overloaded transformers, poorly serviced substations, vandalism, and reduced investment in the network during Umeme’s final years. UEDCL has said it has replaced or upgraded hundreds of transformers and is implementing a five-year rehabilitation plan funded by government allocations of about US$129 million.

Manufacturers have also raised concerns. The Uganda Manufacturers Association has previously complained of voltage surges damaging machinery and unplanned cuts disrupting production lines. Industrial users consume more than 68 per cent of the country’s electricity.

UEDCL maintains that it is working to improve reliability through network refurbishment projects in areas including Mityana, Masaka, Kasese and Bushenyi, and through stakeholder engagements. The company has also warned the public against fraudsters promising faster connections.

For ordinary consumers, however, the immediate reality remains days without power, unanswered complaints, and bills that continue to arrive. The gap between the expectations created when Umeme’s concession ended and the current service levels is now a major source of public discontent. Whether the ongoing parliamentary scrutiny and UEDCL’s technical interventions will restore confidence remains to be seen.