Namyalo demands audit of Shs1.7 trillion power connections funds

26 October 2026, 6:01 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The Manager of the Office of the National Chairman (ONC) of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, has called on Parliament to commission a forensic audit of 1.7 trillion shillings reportedly collected for electricity connections.

Namyalo raised concerns over persistent power outages in various parts of the country since the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) took over electricity distribution from UMEME in April 2025.

Addressing the media at the National Chairman’s office in Kampala, Namyalo said Ugandans had been promised improved access to electricity following the transition but continued to face unreliable power supply and high tariffs.

“Am addressing you not as a senior presidential advisor, but as a muzzukulu. Electricity is the oxygen of modern existence. No enterprise flourishes, no child studies, no health facility saves lives without it,” she said.

Namyalo questioned the reported collection of 1.7 trillion shillings, arguing that many Ugandans who had paid for electricity connections were still waiting to be connected.

She cited figures indicating that UEDCL had announced 236,000 new connections, while approximately 400,000 people who had paid for connections remained without electricity.

Namyalo also questioned Uganda’s electricity pricing and regional power trade, claiming that the country sells electricity to neighbouring states while some Ugandans continue to experience unreliable supply and high costs.

She called on Parliament to investigate the reported funds and establish why customers who paid for electricity connections had not yet been connected.

“Until every Ugandan who paid for power is connected, this so-called ‘Big Switch’ remains a Big Cheat on the people,” Namyalo said.

UEDCL has previously attributed power supply challenges to several technical and operational factors, including inadequate transmission infrastructure.

The proposed audit, if undertaken, would establish how the reported funds were collected and utilised and the progress made in connecting customers who have already paid.