ERA to fine Umeme for poor service

PIC: Tibalwa, the CEO of Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) said they were going to start penalise Umeme for poor service delivery. (Credit: Billy Rwothungeyo)

BUSINESS

KAMPALA - The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) is formulating penalties to slap on Umeme in cases of lackluster service delivery.

Speaking on Thursday at a meeting in Kampala organised by Frank Energy Consultants, Eng. Ziria Tibalwa Waako, the chief executive officer, of ERA said the penalties are aimed at improving service delivery levels at Uganda's largest electricity distributor.

 "When the consumer applies for a service, how long does it take for the company to deliver the service? One of the services with a public outcry is the time consumers tend to be connected when they have paid for a connection," she said.

 "If you are supposed to connect a consumer who has paid and the 10 days elapse, there must be a penalty, because the consumer is foregoing an opportunity. Maybe they wanted to commission a factory or maize mill or maybe they wanted to enter their new house before Christmas," Tibalwa said.

Speaking on the occasion of Umeme handing over a cheque of dividends worth sh4.5b to shareholder; National Social Security Fund (NSSF) in July 2015, Umeme managing director Selestino Babungi admitted that the company needed to improve on service delivery.

"As a company, we know that we are not at our best when it comes to customer service. We have a strategy to continuously improve our service levels to the satisfaction of our customers," he said.

Umeme is facing a torrid time recently with mounting criticism over what large sections of the public call wanting service delivery.