Power thefts, vandalism are a national problem

The Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) national electricity blackout that occurred on September 12 due to vandalism of five transmission towers between Nalubaale (Owen Falls) Dam and Lugogo Sub-station where it is distributed to Kampala, Mukono and the surrounding areas, evoked widespread emotional reaction from a cross-section of electricity users.
Although UETCL managed to restore supply under emergency status, pending full restoration of the line, this meant supply disruptions to the entire country!

This incident should work to push the communities across the country to rise up to the occasion and protect electricity distribution infrastructure.
There is increase in theft and destruction of transformers and electricity supply infrastructure across the country. Electricity infrastructure vandalism is on the rise as criminals are on the loose.
Yet transformers and other electricity supply infrastructure are public assets and it is an offense to steal or destroy them.

Interference with the electricity supply network causes power blackouts, threatens the security of our homes, increases the cost of doing business and electricity tariffs, and disrupts vital health and education services as well as our lifestyles. All power users can attest to this when the UETCL towers went down!
Vandalism has also been reported by Umeme, the major electricity distributor, the telecommunication companies, roads authority and local government property.

By half of 2018 alone, Umeme had lost more than 40 transformers to vandals, estimated at more than Shs1 billion. Transformers cost between $10,000 and $20,000. Transformer vandalism is rampant because the vandals want its oil and copper components. The oil is used for cooking, as an additive to cosmetics, fuel in welding machines and furnaces while others use it to treat wounds.
The vandals also target feeder pillars, ring main unit covers, circuit breakers, stay supports, substation fences, underground cables and overhead conductors (wires).

The vice is rampant in Mukono, Banda, Natete, Nakulabye, and it is spreading to other areas in Kampala. Upcountry districts have also not been spared.
Umeme currently incurs costs running up to billions of shillings annually in the replacement of vandalised infrastructure. This is frustrating and bogging down our efforts to refurbish the network for reliable supply. The money we are spending in repairing and replacing vandalised equipment would have created a greater customer experience if it were injected in network refurbishment.

We want to appeal to the public to report anyone involved in power theft and vandalism to the nearest police station or local authorities.
We need the public’s support in fighting against this act of criminality. More often than not, many of the unplanned outages experienced by our customers are a result of acts of vandalism. Vandalism causes frustration to our legitimate customers through prolonged power outages. It also delays the progress of our efforts in infrastructure improvement.
Vandalism and power thefts are a national problem, which amounts to an economic crime. It causes frustration to our customers through prolonged power outages, caused by these criminals.

We urge the government to holistically address the underlying problem across the affected sectors through deterrent legislation.
The continued theft and vandalism of the electricity infrastructure is heavily costing the sector. On average, Umeme alone loses an estimated Shs100 billion annually in power theft and vandalism.
Despite the huge loss to the economy, the current Electricity Act, 1999, is not deterrent enough to curb the vice.

The penalties for vandalism, power theft and illegal connections in Uganda range from caution, community service, to maximum of Shs2 million fine or a three-year jail sentence.
It is now time to speak out and watch over your neighbours’ activities since they can directly impact on your electricity supply reliability, the tariffs and more importantly your safety.
The truth is, you cannot have a reliable and safe power supply or lower tariffs when your neighbours are stealing power and vandalising the distribution infrastructure. Vandalism of the transmission lines and distribution transformers affects operators’ bottom-line by increasing operations costs.

Vandalism not only increases the cost of operating the network, but it also frustrates our dear customers through experience outages. Economically, customers may not run their businesses or light their homes as the bulk of transformers are imported and their vandalism negates the company’s network expansion drive, through replacement of vandalised equipment.
May be it is high time our legislators amended the laws for stiffer penalties to the culprits. May be it is time for the public to get angry and end this ugly vice.

Mr Ilungole is the spokesperson for Umeme Limited. [email protected]