The Umeme Managing Director said he is satisfied that the company has completed all the investment works that were laid out for 2020 on time. This comes as industrialists decry increased power outages which are impacting on their businesses.
Derrick Isabirye, who led a delegation of six family members to pitch camp at Umeme offices in Mukono, says they will not leave until they receive a proper explanation from the power distributors. He says it is unfair for Umeme to disown their relative, yet they have been contracting him to undertake various assignments.
Many people were seen closing their houses and others gathered on roadsides as heavily guarded UMEME officials went knocking door to door. By midday, nine people had been detained at Kawempe police Station having been found at houses that are illegally connected to the national grid.
However Tom Awuzu, the Gulu Region Area Manager for Umeme told the leaders that the problem will still persist because the problems including a single power distribution source, vandalism of electric equipment and harsh weather are beyond their control.
The company lost at least 40 transformers to vandalism in addition to several other electricity supply infrastructure and illegal connections in the first half of 2018 alone. This translated into an estimated annual average loss of 100 billion shillings.
