Electricity Regulatory Authority ranked Best Regulatory Authority as Uganda celebrate its 60th Independence anniversary
From January 2022, Public Opinions has been monitoring performance of Government of Uganda Statutory Authorities, Commissions and State Enterprises to determine the Best Performing Regulatory Authority to be recognized with the “Public Opinions Responsible Investment Certification Award”. The Electricity Regulatory Authority emerged the best performing Regulatory Authority in Uganda.
With the committed Leadership at the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), Installed electricity capacity in Uganda in 2020 was 1,268.9 megawatts (MW) with demand at 737 MW, leaving a surplus of 532 MW. President Museveni in 2019 commissioned the 183 MW Isimba Hydro Power Dam, and the 600 MW Karuma Hydro Power Dam is slated to come online this year.Electricity is a key factor in the social economic transformation of Uganda holistic program. It’s actually an engine for industrialization and hence social-economic transformation. The Government of Uganda under the leadership of H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni prioritized increasing Uganda’s energy production; foreign investment in the sector has increased. The Electricity Regulatory Authority has been at the forefront of transforming the electricity sector to offer the best to the people of Uganda
The number of customers on the grid increased by 11% in the FY 2019/20 from the 1,454,219 during the FY2018/19. About 94% of the customers on the network are domestic customers with the other customer categories constituting 6%. Umeme Limited accounts for 93% of the total customers, UEDL had a 5% share while the other distribution companies account for 2%.
It’s important to note that the addition of the Karuma Hydro Power Dam is projected to boost Uganda’s total capacity by 48% and leave potentially over 1000 MW of excess power generation capacity.
According to Mr Julius Wandera the Director of Corporate Affairs at the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), The transformation of the electricity sector in Uganda is attributed to the wise leadership of H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the determination of the board and management of electricity regulatory Authority, the Ministry of Energy and Minerals development as well as the licensed private sector companies and public entities.
Infrastructure expansion in the energy sector has been a central point of interest in all documents that detail the government’s strategy and plans for economic development. Whereas Vision 2040 and the first two national development plans mainly focused on the expansion of the installed energy generation capacity, the third plan aims to make this generated energy better available to households and businesses.
As part of the first two plans, the sector (nearly) finalized its two flagship projects: the construction of the Karuma (600MW) and Isimba (183MW) hydropower dams. The installed generation capacity more than doubled from 601MW in 2010 to 1,252MW by the end of 2019 and is expected to further increase once the Karuma dam is fully operational in November 2020 (ERA, 2019; NDP III, NPA, 2020; MoFPED, 2020b). Unfortunately, the installed capacity is not fully utilized because of gaps in the transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Uganda has approximately 3,101 km of transmission lines, which the government aims to increase to 4,354 km by 2025.
The united, conflict free and dedicated leadership of the ERA Board of Directors, Staff and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eng. Ziria Tibalwa Waako explains the mass achievements registered by the Authority in the year 2020/2021.ERA has been dedicated to promote clean and affordable electricity in all parts of Uganda and it has been licensing electricity companies to actualize the Electricity sector programs in different parts of Uganda. Some of the best Performing Electricity Sector players will soon be recognized after conducting our survey.
Despite the many challenges in the electricity sector, President Museveni through Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) has been pushing for amendment of the electricity tariffs and by end of 2021,the new electricity tariffs were approved for the 2022 annual base end-user tariffs; Ush 747.5/kWh- Domestic usage, Ush 597.1/kWh- Commercial, 0/kWh- Medium Industries, Ush 355.0/kWh- Large Industries, Ush 300.2/kWh- Extra-Large Industries, Ush 370.0/kWh- Street Lighting,etc.
Electricity Regulatory Authority has been the most successful statutory Authority in localizing its mandate as well as achieving its core aims and objective. The Electricity Regulatory Authority (Era) is a Statutory Body established in the year 2000, in accordance with the Electricity Act, 1999, (Chapter 145 of the Laws of Uganda) to regulate the Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Sale, Export and Import of Electrical Energy in Uganda. ERA is mandated by the Electricity Act, 1999, to issue electricity Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Sale and Import Licenses, set License conditions and ensure compliance to License conditions by Licensees.
ERA is also mandated to establish a tariff structure, approve rates of charges among other functions. We are committed to ensuring a sustainable Electricity Supply. The functions of the ERA as laid out in the Act are among others; To issue licenses for;The generation, transmission, distribution or sales of electricity; and The ownership or operation of transmission systems;To receive and process applications for licenses; To prescribe conditions and terms of licenses issued under this Act, To modify licenses issued under this Act,To make and enforce directions to ensure compliance with licenses issued under this Act,To establish a tariff structure and to investigate tariff charges, whether or not a specific compliant has been made for a tariff adjustment, To approve rates of charges and terms and conditions of electricity services provided by transmission and distribution companies, To review the organization of generation, transmission and distribution companies or other legal entities engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to the extent that that organization affects or is likely to affect the operation of the electricity sector and the efficient supply of electricity, To develop and enforce performance standards for the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, To encourage the development of uniform electricity industry standards and codes of conduct,etc.
According to the survey by Public Opinions with support from Office of the President, Electricity Regulatory Authority emerged the best performing Statutory Authority in terms of achieving its mandate. We encourage Electricity Players to emulate ERA and commit themselves to work towards attainment of Uganda Vision 2040 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The NRM Government under the leadership of H.E Yoweri kaguta Museveni is now committed to Agro-Industrialization for wealth creation. We can only attainment agro-industrialization in Uganda only if Uganda has stable, clean and affordable electricity supply which Electricity Regulatory Authority is promoting.
The Core Leaders of the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA).
Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu-Minister of Energy and Mineral Development
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on 8th June 2021, appointed Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu as the New Minister of Energy and Mineral Development. As the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Nankabirwa is charged with providing direction and guidance to the Energy Sector Players, including the Electricity Regulatory Authority in respect to Policy formulation and implementation to ensure sustainable Electricity Supply for Socio-Economic Transformation.
The electricity sector has registered many achievements and the notable achievements include; the increment in the Installed Capacity from 380 MW in 2000 to the current 1,269.1 MW, the Transmission network length growing from 730 km to 3,100.5 km, Access to Clean Energy growing from 10% to 50%, an Off-Peak Tariff for Industrial Consumers of US Cents 5, and Uganda’s Electricity Regulatory Framework being ranked Number 1 on the continent for Three (3) consecutive times, in the Electricity Regulatory Index of the African Development Bank released in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu is a Politician. She holds the Degree of Master of Arts in Conflict Studies and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Art from Makerere University. Prior to her appointment as the Minster of Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Nankabirwa served as the Government Chief Whip and Woman Member of Parliament for Kiboga District in the 10th Parliament (2016-2021) among other Positions.
Dr. Sarah Wasagali Kanaabi–Chairperson of ERA Board
Dr. Sarah Wasagali Kanaabi is a qualified Economist with varied experience in administration, teaching, research, and policy formulation. She has trained in various fields including economic Planning and policy, financial modeling for Public-private projects, Governance and enterprise risk management. She has 22 years of University teaching experience gained at the Islamic University in Uganda and Kyambogo University.
She has served on the Board of Directors of Private Sector Development Center Mbale and the Eastern Private Sector Development Center Ltd. She also served on the Board of Governors of various secondary schools. Dr. Kanaabi has made several academic and professional presentations in the areas of economics, governance, gender, HIV/AIDS, career guidance; project Planning, poverty and development.
Eng. Ziria Tibalwa Waako–Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Eng. Waako Ziria is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Electricity Regulatory Authority, a position she assumed on 23rd March 2017. Her position involves providing strategic direction to the ERA Secretariat to ensure that the organization effectively delivers on its mandate efficiently.
She possesses over 30 years of work experience in and vast knowledge of Uganda’s Electricity sub-Sector, 15 of which have been at Senior Management Level. She holds a MSc. and BSc. Electrical Engineering, both from Makerere University, and a Master of Business Administration in Leadership from Walden University, USA.Eng. Waako is a Registered Engineer with the Uganda Institute of Professional Engineers and the National Engineers Registration Board; as well as a Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) of New York, United States of America. She was awarded the Excellent Performance Engineers Award by the National Engineers Registration Board at its 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2019. During Eng. Waako’s tenure as Chief Executive, ERA has had various National and International Recognitions and Awards.
Mr. Julius Wandera–Director Corporate and Consumer Affairs is responsible for Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Performance review in line with the Electricity Regulatory Authority Vision and Mission, and the Government of Uganda’s Strategic Aspirations; as well as Communication and Engagement of Stakeholders and Consumer Protection.
Prior to this appointment, Mr. Wandera served as Manager Communication in which role he was responsible for the Communication, Stakeholder Engagement and Consumer Protection functions of the Authority.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication from Makerere University, an MBA from the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI), and has trained in Corporate Communication at the prestigious Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Netherlands.
Mr. Wandera is a seasoned Communication Practitioner with over a decade of experience in Public Relations and Strategic Communication. He possesses vast knowledge and insights on the Electricity Sub-Sector. He is a Chartered Public Relations Practitioner (CPRP) courtesy of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA); a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing – UK; and a Member of the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU).
During his 11 (Eleven) Years of service to the Authority, Mr. Wandera has effectively been the Mouthpiece of the Electricity Regulatory Authority. He has presided over constructive engagement with key stakeholders; instituted a framework on Consumer Protection; and utilized the Communication function for the attainment of ERA’s Strategic Objectives.