Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited

Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) is a limited liability company incorporated in Uganda under the Companies Act and started operations on 1st April 2001. The Government implemented a Power Sector Reform and Privatization Policy, which resulted in the separation of Uganda Electricity Board (UEB) into Generation, Transmission and Distribution successor companies.

The UEDCL, one of the successors of the Uganda electricity board is the owner of the electricity distribution network up to 33KV. The network was handed over to Umeme limited on the 1st march 2005, under a concession arrangement. Umeme Ltd is wholly owned by CDC Globeleq of UK.

UEDCL was privatized by the Government of Uganda (GoU) through a 20 year concession by bringing on board Umeme Ltd a private investor in the electricity distribution and supply business in order to:

• Attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI);
• Improve the quality of service;
• Rehabilitate, upgrade and expand the distribution network; and
• Increase the electricity access to other customers in the country.

The concession involved Umeme and other parties entering into a number of agreements, namely:

• The Lease and Assignment Agreement (LAA) with UEDCL;
• The Support Agreement with GoU;
• The Power Sales Agreement with Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL); and
• Licenses for Electricity Distribution, Supply, and Embedded generation by the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA).