The Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) is investigating the collapse of several transmission towers on the 132kV Owen Falls-Mukono North and Mukono North-Namanve South lines, an incident that authorities attribute to vandalism. The towers came down at 03:02 am, disrupting electricity supply to the Mukono North substation and causing interruptions in the district. One person died during the incident, and the Uganda Police Force has opened an inquiry to determine the circumstances of the fatality and track down those responsible for tampering with the electricity infrastructure.
This incident highlights a growing issue in Uganda's power sector, where vandalism targeting transformers, transmission lines, and tower members has surged in recent years. The Energy Ministry reports over 250 incidents annually, resulting in estimated losses exceeding UGX 7 billion for UETCL. Vandalism-related outages affect businesses, hospitals, and households across multiple regions, posing a serious danger to human life.
UETCL has dispatched its technical team to assess the damage and restore power as quickly as possible, implementing emergency measures to minimize the impact on consumers. The utility is urging the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity around power installations to nearby police stations.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the critical need for vigilance and protection of Uganda's power infrastructure. The company emphasizes that vandalism not only disrupts power supply but also poses a significant threat to human life, underscoring the importance of public awareness and cooperation in combating this issue.
