New substation set to boost electricity supply across greater Kampala
Namungo said works on the multi-million-dollar project are now approximately 70% complete, with full commissioning targeted for February 2026.
Mark Namungo (left) the Project Manager for the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Transmission System Improvement Project explaining construction work progress to journalists at the new Mukono power substation on Monday. Looking on is JICA Uganda's Chief Representative Inoue Yoichi (right). (Photos by Donald Kiirya)
________________
The new Mukono 220/132kV substation, a flagship component of the Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project, is nearing completion and is expected to significantly enhance electricity reliability and capacity in Greater Kampala and its surrounding areas.
Speaking during a media tour of the facility on Monday, December 1, 2025, project manager Mark Namungo said works on the multi-million-dollar project are now approximately 70% complete, with full commissioning targeted for February 2026.
“This substation is an extension and major upgrade of the existing Mukono substation grid—expected to be exhausted in the next 10 years,” Namungo said.
Namungo added that as a strategy of improving the electricity network, they came up with this project with the main objective of increasing the power transmission capacity and providing flexibility in operating the Kampala metropolitan area.
He said, “Once operational, it will provide adequate, reliable and flexible power supply not only to Mukono but to the entire Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, which includes Wakiso and Mpigi, for at least the next 30 years.”
He added that the upgraded Mukono facility will feature three new 200 MVA transformers, adding a massive 600 MVA of transformation capacity to the grid, and Power will be drawn from two lines, which include the 132kV Owen Falls-Lugogo, saying they are going to break into that line to tap power into the Mukono substation.
According to him, there is another line about 5km away from the Mukono substation area called the Bujagali–Kawanda 220kV line, which they will also tap through to bring power to the substation.
Mark Namungo (right) the Project Manager for the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Transmission System Improvement Project explaining construction works progress to journalists and JICA staff, while at the new Mukono power substation on Monday. 
Namungo said the existing Mukono substation supplies power to the Lugazi and Mukono areas.
“This design means that even if one transmission line is vandalised or fails, Mukono and surrounding areas can immediately be supplied from the alternative route,” Namungo said, citing a recent week-long outage caused by vandalism that left the area in darkness.
He revealed that they have a ring of 11kV, 33kV, 132kV and that the new substation is going to give them an additional ring of 220kV.
The substation forms part of a broader $120 million project launched by the Government of Uganda in April 2018 with concessional financing from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA).
The initiative also includes upgrades to existing substations at Kawaala in Namungoona area, Mutundwe, Bujagali and the construction of a substation at Maya to improve power transmission around the Mpigi area.
Ivan Muhame, Senior Programme Officer for Economic Infrastructure at JICA Uganda, emphasised the favourable terms of Japan’s support.
“All loans extended to Uganda under this framework carry an interest rate of approximately 0.01%, with a 40-year repayment period and a 10-year grace period,” he said.
The Mukono substation is strategically located within the Mukono Industrial Park corridor, home to major manufacturers such as Kampala Cement and Tian Tang Group, as well as critical infrastructure, including the National Water and Sewerage Corporation's Katosi plant that supplies greater Mukono, Namugongo and parts of Wakiso.
Reliable electricity is expected to attract further industrial investment while supporting growing household demand across the region.
Once completed, the project will establish an additional 220 kV ring around the capital, dramatically improving operational flexibility and resilience of the national grid.
Construction of the Mukono substation extension started in February 2024. With steady progress reported, authorities are confident the facility will be energised on schedule, marking another milestone in Uganda–Japan development cooperation.
Earlier, at a press conference at JICA Uganda offices in Kampala, the Chief Representative of JICA Uganda, Inoue Yoichi, said for over six decades, JICA has stood as a committed partner to Uganda adding that their relationship with the government of Uganda has evolved from foundational support to strategic collaborations in agriculture, infrastructure, water and environment, health, education and peace-building and was proud that the partnership is yielding tangible results.