Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza, the Minister of Energy and Mineral DevelopmentGovernment has reassured Ugandans that the current power outages are temporary and are associated largely with planned investments that will significantly improve electricity reliability in the medium and long term.The assurance was made by Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development while addressing the media at Uganda Media Centre on Wednesday.She apologized to Ugandans for the widespread power outages that are currently affecting several parts of the country, including large sections of Kampala City.“Over the last few weeks, many households, businesses, institutions and industries have experienced intermittent power outages and fluctuations. We acknowledge the inconvenience and losses these interruptions have caused to you all. Before the intensification of the outages, we made effort to communicate, but from the response, it is clear that we did not do it well – and the population is taken unaware. For that, on behalf of the Sector, I apologize and I want to say, we are with you, we hear you!” Musenero said.She revealed that UEDCL serves approximately 2.7 million customers, while overall electricity access across the country currently stands at 62%.“Since January this year alone, more than 76,000 new customers have been connected to the national grid. At the same time, we have about 500,000 customers who have applied to be connected. UEDCL is ready to connect 300,000 customers within the next five months as more connection materials are being acquired to cover the entire requirement,” she said, adding that to continue to improve the current service and accommodate more consumers, Government had to expand the capacity and repair the aging infrastructure.Why are consumers experiencing power outages?The Minster explained that the current outages are largely attributable to four key factors;Government is undertaking major transmission network improvement projects across the country.These projects include the Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project, the integration of new substations, and replacing the existing conductors (wires) of ageing transmission lines.“The Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project, funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is at 91% completion and works expected to be concluded on 8th August 2026. The project includes construction of new substations at Maya (Buloba) and Mukono, upgrades of substations at Kawaala, Mutundwe and Bujagali, reinforcement of critical 132 kV transmission lines, and deployment of a mobile substation at Namungoona,” Musenero said.She said following the completion of the sub-station upgrades, there was need to modernize and expand the transmission network serving the greater Kampala area.“This wiring required planned shutdowns to ensure the safety of workers, the public and electricity infrastructure. The upgrades will significantly improve system reliability, reduce future outages, and increase the capacity of the grid to meet the growing demand for electricity in the Capital City and neighboring areas. Technical teams from the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) working in close coordination with the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL), are on site and executing the planned interventions in a sequenced manner,” she said.The second reason for outages is due to Sections of both the transmission and distribution networks which are heavily loaded.The Minister said several substations and transmission lines are operating above their optimal capacity, necessitating reinforcement to improve reliability and accommodate growing electricity demand.Thirdly, the Minister said, routine maintenance remains essential to guarantee long-term reliability.“Like any critical infrastructure, electricity transmission and distribution equipment must periodically be taken out of service for inspection, maintenance and upgrading in accordance with international utility standards,” she said.Musenero added that vandalism of electricity infrastructure continues to undermine the reliability of power supply.“Acts of vandalism targeting transmission towers, conductors, transformers, poles and other critical equipment have resulted in avoidable outages, costly repairs and delayed restoration of electricity services. Damaged equipment on both transmission and distribution networks must be replaced before power can safely be restored,” she said, appealing to all Ugandans to safeguard electricity infrastructure as a national asset.“Anyone who observes suspicious activities around transmission lines, substations, transformers, electricity poles or any other power infrastructure should immediately report the matter to the nearest Police Station, UEDCL or UETCL. Protecting our electricity network is a shared national responsibility,” she said.She revealed that Government has now secured a substantial stock of electricity meters and other essential network materials, which will significantly improve the pace of new customer connections and network restoration works. The post Gov’t Warns of Temporary Power Outages as 500,000 Ugandans Queue for New Electricity Connections appeared first on Business Focus.