The Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has completed a major upgrade of the Kampala South Substation, increasing its capacity from 20 Megawatts to 34 Megawatts, in a move expected to significantly improve electricity reliability along Entebbe road and surrounding areas.
The upgraded substation was officially commissioned on 29th December, 2025, by UEDCL Managing Director Paul Mwesigwa, accompanied by local leaders, as part of the company’s ongoing system optimization and grid enhancement programme aimed at meeting Uganda’s growing power demand.
According to Eng Mwesigwa, the Kampala South substation had been operating under severe strain, with electricity demand peaking at 20.45 Megawatts, surpassing the original transformer’s capacity of 15/20 Megawatts.
This overload affected six major feeders which include; Salaama, Najjanankumbi, Kigo, Makindye, Kisuubi, and Kabowa, all of which depended on a single closed bus coupler, increasing the risk of power blackouts.
To address this, the UEDCL Managing Director said the electricity company installed and commissioned a 10/14MVA, 33/11KV transformer, creating additional capacity and operational flexibility.
“This upgrade resolves three major challenges; capacity strain, over dependence on a single transformer, and frequent power cuts. With transformer redundancy now in place, the risk of substation overload has been eliminated,” Eng Mwesigwa said.
The upgrade is set to benefit 650 commercial consumers and more than 108,000 domestic customers, who have long experienced frequent power supply disruptions in the area.
Mwesigwa announced that outages affecting the Kampala South supply zone would now be ‘a story of the past,’ noting that the Salaama and Najjanankumbi feeders have already been transferred to the newly installed transformer, improving load distribution and system reliability.
The substation can now comfortably handle both current and future demand, even during peak consumption periods or scheduled maintenance.
During the commissioning, the UEDCL Managing Director commended electricity users who responded to the ‘Weterezeeee’ campaign, which encourages the normalization of electricity connections.
“Over 32,461 Ugandans have come forward, and all will benefit from the Government of Uganda’s free electricity connections programme,” he stated.
However, Mwesigwa raised concern over increasing vandalism of electricity infrastructure, revealing that 330 vandalism incidents have been recorded nationwide since 1st April, 2025, affecting power reliability.
“We urge all Ugandans to remain vigilant and protect the electricity grid, which is critical to national development,” Eng Mwesigwa appealed.
The Kampala South upgrade forms part of a wider national grid reinforcement programme being implemented under UEDCL’s new mandate.
Over the past eight months, the company has strengthened electricity supply in several parts of the country by expanding the capacity of key substations, including Kakiri, which was upgraded from 14 MVA to 28 MVA; Kabale, from 2.5 MVA to 5 MVA; Masaka, from 5 MVA to 7 MVA; Kumi, from 1.5 MVA to 2.5 MVA; and Mubende, from 2.5 MVA to 5 MVA.
To further meet rising demand in the capital, UEDCL has secured land to construct two new substations in Kampala and another in Magigye along Zirobwe Road.
Additionally, several downstream feeder upgrades are planned, including Mutundwe–Mityana, Mutundwe–Nakawuka–Budo and Waligo–Namugongo interconnection.
Once completed, these projects are expected to guarantee steady and reliable power supply in Kampala throughout 2026 and beyond.
