Umeme’s head of legal services, Allan Rwakakooko, has revealed that the electricity distribution company is currently facing around 80 pending court cases across various courts in Uganda.
The disclosure comes just days after the official expiry of Umeme’s 20-year electricity distribution concession, which began on March 1, 2005, and concluded at midnight on March 31, 2025.
Speaking to the media at the Uganda Law Society’s (ULS) weekly Radical New Bar press conference in Kampala, Rwakakooko noted that the company had long anticipated the concession’s end and ensured all legal matters were being handled diligently.
“We’ve worked closely with judicial officers, who have also been mindful of the concession’s expiry, and they’ve shown understanding in handling the cases involving Umeme,” Rwakakooko said.
Despite the litigation load, Rwakakooko assured the public that Umeme remains committed to fulfilling its legal and operational responsibilities. He emphasized that, under the law, the company must account for any outstanding liabilities as part of the winding-up process—a process that has not yet officially begun.
He also disclosed a dispute over the buyout figure between Umeme and the government, represented by the Auditor General.
“So there is a discrepancy between what Umeme expected and what the government and the Auditor General said Umeme would get. That is also expected. At the end of the concession, the government and Umeme are supposed to sit in a room and do a reconciliation,” he explained.
Rwakakooko also issued a public apology for the recent widespread power outages across the country. He attributed the disruptions to extreme weather conditions, which caused utility poles to collapse and damaged 33kV high-voltage lines.
The situation, he added, was worsened by wire theft in Entebbe and the vandalism of power infrastructure. During the transition period, Umeme reportedly struggled to secure investment capital, particularly for replacing transformers and cables.
The company also faced personnel shortages but hired external contractors to address the issues. Rwakakooko confirmed that Umeme was aware of the planned handover to the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) as far back as two years ago, and that the transition was carefully planned and executed smoothly.
At the same press briefing, Harold Obiga, director of legal services at the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), stated that electricity access in Uganda currently stands at 57 per cent.
He said the ERA aims to raise this figure to at least 80 per cent in the coming years. Meanwhile, Anthony Asiimwe, vice president of the Uganda Law Society, encouraged members of the public to seek legal assistance from ULS.
“We are here to voice out your needs, and to speak up and ensure that justice is served. We do not only want to speak about it, but we shall also take action, depending on the petition or the kind of request,” Asiimwe said.
Public concern continues to grow over the transparency of Umeme’s buyout valuation. The government, using a loan from Stanbic bank, reportedly paid the company $118 million as part of the handover.
However, Umeme contests this figure and is seeking a higher amount than what was verified by the Auditor General. The government, for its part, maintains that the payment was based on estimates, as the concession had not yet officially ended at the time the calculations were made.