For a week now, Nakawa division market has gone without power due to unremitted electricity bills of sh23m by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).

Last week, Umeme Limited, the electricity distribution company, disconnected the market. Over 25,000 traders who operate in the market were affected.

Umeme also discovered that some market traders had illegally connected their business stalls to the main market grid, yet they were not reflected on the market administrative database system.

Tailors relying on what is left of daylight to work on their customers’ clothes. (Photo by Isaac Nuwagaba)

“The cost of non-supply of electricity due to vandalism is extremely high to the public and the energy sector,” Peter Kaujju, the head of communications at Umeme, said when asked why they disconnected the market.

Kaujju revealed that 50 traders in the market had illegally connected themselves for a very long time without being in the KCCA database at the market.

He emphasised that they were not going to reconnect the electricity until all the electricity bill arrears were paid.

Dan Wasswa, a vendor showing his electric groundnuts machine. For a week now, they have been unable to used them due to electricity disconnection. (Photo by Isaac Nuwagaba)

Vendors react

Sarah Nalubega, a vendor dealing in groundnut processing and value addition said the cost of doing business had increased. They have to transport sacks of groundnuts to St. Balikuddembe Market, commonly known as Owino, for processing while their machines lie idle.

“I normally pay my bills on time because I know that my machines use power a lot, but we do not know where the money goes when we pay it to the offices. Our businesses are collapsing; we pay rent to the landlords and KCCA,” she lamented.

Juliana Naluwadde said it was becoming impossible to finish pending customer orders.

“I resorted to sewing clothes on a torch at night because I have too much work and I cannot turn away my customers. I have to strain myself to work even at night on lamps,” she explained.

Without electricity, saloon owners are left with phone torch light to operate their businesses. (Photo by Isaac Nuwagaba)

Deusdedit Nowamaani, who owns a saloon, said his customers had run away. Now, he is scared that he might be unable to pay rent. 

Why the bills accumulated

When the market administrator, Micheal Sendi, was contacted on the matter, he said the bills accumulated because vendors kept using power without remitting their contributions to the Umeme account.

“It has been established that the old management connived with vendors to connect power illegally,” he said. 

Sendi added that they have decided to seal the businesses of all the vendors who refused to pay their electricity bills in time.

Nakawa market vendors have to operate with other means for light, or else they won't make money. (Photo by Isaac Nuwagaba)

Joseph Mudaasi, the chairperson of the Nakawa market, said since the market management was taken back to KCCA, it has been tricky to establish who paid what and when. 

“We no longer take charge of these markets like we used to do, and I am also among the vendors in the market who are praying each day to have electricity connected back,” he said. 

By the time of filling in this story, over 100 vendor stalls were closed with KCCA seals for failure to pay electricity bills.