Ugandan scientists unveil homegrown tech to combat power theft, outages
Mr Gerald Baguma speaks to the press about his innovation during the ongoing National Science Week at Kololo Independence Grounds on June 18, 2025. Photo/Tonny Abet
What you need to know:
- Electricity theft in Uganda currently stands at approximately 8.3 percent, according to local studies. In 2021, Umeme reported losses of Shs98 billion due to illegal connections and power theft.
A team of Ugandan scientists has unveiled a new homegrown technology aimed at curbing electricity theft and reducing frequent power outages across the country. The innitiative was supported by the government through the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Secretariat in the Office of the President.
Mr Gerald Baguma, the lead scientist on the project, explained that the technology is designed to give electricity distributors real-time awareness of faults in the system, allowing for quicker response and lower operational costs.
“The technology gives them awareness of where the faults are as they happen, and it also enables them to predict faults before they actually occur,” Mr Baguma said.
The system includes a combination of hardware, software, and a cloud platform, which provides electricity distributors—such as the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL)—with a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.
“We hope to start working with UEDCL. This system will allow them to monitor power distribution points and feeders in real time,” he said.
Regarding electricity theft, Mr Baguma explained: “It involves people tapping power from lines. Since we can monitor power coming from transformers and feeders, and directly communicate with Yaka meters, we can correlate the power generated and consumed.”
“By summing up all the data from Yaka meters and comparing it with distribution data, we can identify unaccounted-for power. Our algorithm even allows us to detect the precise locations where power theft is happening,” he added.
Electricity theft in Uganda currently stands at approximately 8.3 percent, according to local studies. In 2021, Umeme reported losses of Shs98 billion due to illegal connections and power theft.
Mr Baguma’s innovation is one of several showcased at the ongoing National Science Week exhibition at Kololo Independence Grounds, running from June 15 to 20.
Dr Cosmas Mwikirize, the STI Chief Scientist, noted that Uganda is seeing a growing number of local innovations, but emphasized that real success lies in turning these ideas into market-ready solutions.
“We have a saying at STI that innovation is not complete until you have a product or service on the market, in the hands of enough users who are willing to pay for it,” Dr Mwikirize said.
