2km electric wires stolen, 9 villages plunged into darkness

MITYANA - Nine villages in Butayunja sub-county, Mityana district, have been without electricity for over a month following vandalism during the week that Umeme exited Uganda’s power sector. 

In a single night, the vandals cut down 20 poles and stole electric wires covering 2km in Nawanjiri and Bekiina villages, sending the entire sub-county into a blackout. 

Residents said the vandals came in vehicles bearing Umeme logos and dressed in overalls that looked like those of the company’s staff. 

“I was in my garden around 6:30pm when I saw men near the electric pole and their vehicle parked on the roadside. 

“They were wearing what looked like Umeme uniforms, so I didn’t bother to question them. The next day, the wires were gone, and the poles lay on the ground,” a resident, who sought anonymity, said. 

Saulo Kalwanga, the Butayunja sub-county LC5 councillor, said they have formally contacted the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company (UEDCL), which succeeded Umeme, regarding the matter, but were advised to wait until the transition stabilises. 

“The affected villages include Nawanjiri, Bekiina, Ngandwe, Butayonja, Kitongo, Nsabwa, Kkande, Kiggwa and Bulesa. “Most of our people live hand-to-mouth. They’ve been unable to work for over a month. UEDCL has known about this issue but asked us to wait,” Kalwanga told New Vision. 

The community suspects former workers of Umeme to have stolen these wires, something Mityana district UEDCL engineer Allan Mugabe disagrees with. 

“They were not Umeme workers. Many people out there have such attire and pretend to be our staff. We are working on finding a solution to that,” Mugabe said. 

Jonan Kiiza, the head of communication and stakeholder affairs at UEDCL, described the scale of the vandalism as “alarming” and an act of terrorism. 

“This goes beyond mere vandalism. It is a deliberate attack on our national infrastructure,” he said. In the Mityana–Butayunja feeder, thieves took 2km of conductor wires and destroyed 24 medium voltage (MV) poles, cutting off power to 15 transformers. 

“In Kambuze, we lost 300m of conductors and three MV poles. In Kitongo, 500m and six poles. But the worst was in Mpeeka, Ronene village where 1.2km of bare conductors were taken and nine poles put down,” Kiiza said. 

“We’re replacing stolen infrastructure — not faulty equipment — and that is deeply painful.” 

He said the vandalism appeared well-planned and strategically timed during the handover period, when power lines were inactive and monitoring was low. 

“It was unfortunate timing for us. The lines were dead, and some people took advantage. We inherited a network already compromised.” Kiiza said reinstating just a 1.2km power line can cost more than sh25m, excluding transformers, labour, transport and logistics. 

“And that’s just part of the problem. Extended outages increase our energy losses. Communities lose income, small businesses stall, and the entire power distribution chain is disrupted,” he added.

Vandalism has consequences 

UEDCL reports that this is not an isolated case. In March alone, Mabanda and Kakindu on the Mityana feeder line experienced similar attacks. Mabanda lost four poles and 400m of conductors, while Kakindu lost six poles and 600m of wires. 

“Even when we restore power, lines are often vandalised again within days. The issue is not the speed of restoration — it’s the persistence of vandalism. What assurance do we have that it won’t happen again tomorrow?” Kiiza wondered. 

He warned that public awareness of the severity of the crime remains low. “Sections 85 and 86 of the Electricity Act prescribe a punishment of at least 10 years in prison, a fine of sh1b, or both. People don’t understand how serious this is,” Kiiza said. 

He added that vandalism is more than a technical nuisance — it threatens national economic growth. 

“It undermines rural development, suffocates small industries and contributes to the rising cost of electricity. Every time we replace stolen infrastructure, we divert funds meant for expanding the grid. We’re already off-script from our planned tariff reductions,” Kiiza said. 

Despite these setbacks, UEDCL is working closely with security agencies, including the National Vandalism Task Force, to investigate and deter future incidents. 

“Some arrests have been made in other areas, but the culprits behind the Butayunja attack are still at large. “We plan to begin restoration works in the affected areas next week, but no suspects have yet been apprehended,” Kiiza said.

Contractors linked 

In January, the Police linked power vandalism across the country to contractors and their former employees in the sector. One such incident occurred in Kabale district, where vandals targeted the 132kV electricity transmission line under construction between Mirama Hills in Ntungamo district and Rwakaraba substation in Rubanda district. 

The theft, reported on January 6 this year by Julius Musinguzi, an engineer with the contractor, revealed that parts of the transmission line in the villages of Kabaraga, Muyumbu and Nyakijumba had been dismantled between November 2024 and early January. 

Stolen materials, including angle bars and bolts, were sold as scrap metal to dealers in Kabale municipality. 

Investigations revealed that the vandals included current and former employees of the contractor: the consortium of CCC International Engineering Nigeria Limited and Guangxi Transmission and Substation Construction Company Limited (CCC-GTSCC) that is constructing the 132kV electricity transmission power line from Mirama Hills in Ntungamo to Rwakaraba substation in Rubanda district. 

A police report indicates that the suspects exploit their knowledge of the system, targeting unpowered sections of the transmission line, making it easier to dismantle.
 
A joint Police operation, supported by CCC-GTSCC’s technical staff, led to the arrest of five suspects and the recovery of stolen materials. 

One of the suspects, Elias Mazima, a bodaboda rider, led them to John Male and Posiano Tumwebaze, before he confessed to repeatedly delivering stolen electric materials to scrap dealers on behalf of a fugitive identified as Keresensio Turinawe.