Police in Luwero District are hunting two former employees of the defunct power distributor Umeme over their alleged involvement in vandalizing electricity infrastructure across the Savannah Region.
The suspects, identified only as Isma and Juma, previously worked for Umeme in the Greater Luwero area and are wanted in connection with a suspected network involved in stealing electric wires and other power installations.
The hunt follows the recovery of three rolls of Solido electric wire during a police operation at Mpande Village in Kalule Parish, Nyimbwa Sub-county, on Thursday morning.
Acting on information from local leaders, police arrested Musa Mayembo, 20, and William Kiryowa.
Officers also impounded a Toyota Starlet, registration UAF 413X, and a motorcycle, registration UGC 852V, which are suspected to have been used to transport the stolen wires.
Savannah Regional Police spokesperson Sam Twiineamazima said preliminary investigations indicate that Mayembo admitted his home had been used as a collection point for stolen electric wires before they were transported to Kampala for sale.
He added that investigators believe the recovered wires were cut from electricity installations in several parts of the Savannah Region, comprising Luwero, Nakaseke and Nakasongola districts.
According to Twiineamazima, investigations have also established that buyers allegedly travel from Kampala to collect the stolen materials.
He said the Flying Squad and territorial police units have intensified operations to arrest the remaining suspects, dismantle the criminal network and establish the full supply chain for the stolen electricity infrastructure.
Police have appealed to members of the public with information that could help locate the fugitives or recover stolen electricity infrastructure to report to the nearest police station.
The Savannah Region has experienced persistent power outages in recent months, with the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) attributing part of the disruptions to increasing vandalism of power lines and other electricity infrastructure.
The allegations against the former Umeme employees come more than a year after Uganda’s electricity distribution sector was restructured following the expiry of Umeme’s 20-year concession on 31 March 2025.
UEDCL took over electricity distribution on 1 April 2025, a transition that resulted in hundreds of former Umeme employees losing their jobs after the state-owned utility adopted a leaner workforce.
Although government had indicated that about 190 workers would be declared redundant, reports suggested that more than 500 former Umeme employees were not absorbed into UEDCL-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
