Police in Luwero District have arrested two former employees of the defunct power distributor Umeme for allegedly vandalizing electrical installations, a crime often linked to intermittent power blackouts.
The suspects are identified as Godfrey Kamoga, a resident of Bajjo–Kisingiri Village in Bombo Town Council, and Geoffrey Kasagga, a resident of Namaliga West Village, also in Bombo Town Council.
Savannah Region Police spokesperson Sam Twiineamazima confirms the arrests, noting that both suspects are former Umeme employees.
In a statement, he explains that a joint security operation was launched in and around Bombo Town.The operation, which remains ongoing, targets individuals involved in the vandalism of electricity distribution infrastructure.
According to Twiineamazima, the two suspects led security teams to multiple storage sites in the Nkokonjeru and Bajjo areas, where stolen electricity cables and other electrical materials were recovered.
The recovered items include two rolls of bare conductors, five rolls of three-phase ABC wires, small single-phase ABC cables, pliers, and guy grips. Twiineamazima says the operation is continuing as security personnel pursue two additional accomplices identified only as Medi and Ismail.
The suspects and the recovered exhibits have been transferred to the Luwero Criminal Investigations Department [CID] headquarters for further management.Twiineamazima appeals to the public to support ongoing efforts to curb vandalism of electricity infrastructure.
On April 1, 2025, the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited [UEDCL] assumed control of national power distribution operations following the expiry of Umeme’s 20-year concession.
Before exiting, Umeme employed approximately 3,200 staff. During the transition, not all employees were absorbed into UEDCL. Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa confirmed that 191 workers were rendered redundant under the new structure. The Ministry and UEDCL argued that limiting reabsorption was necessary to prevent duplication of roles and to reduce operational costs.POWER INFRASTRUCTURE VANDALISMVandalism of power infrastructure remains an issue in the Savannah region which spans the districts of Luwero, Nakaseke and Nakasongola. For instance, on August 31, 2025, Uganda Radio Network [URN] reported that police in Nakasongola District had launched a search for unidentified vandals who cut and stole more than 50 meters of electricity wires, plunging parts of Mulonzi Village in Nabiswera Sub-County into darkness.
Savannah Region Police spokesperson, Sam Twiineamazima, said officers inspected the scene and recovered a pair of pliers believed to have been used in the crime. Preliminary findings indicated that vandals damaged six electricity poles between Mulonzi Primary School and Mulonzi Trading Centre while cutting the wires.In relation, in June 2025, URN reported that residents of Kalongomiti Zone in Luwero Town Council were facing prolonged power outages after unknown individuals vandalized several electricity lines.
During his visit to Luwero on May 21, 2025, as part of his Parish Development Model (PDM) tour, President Yoweri Museveni addressed the vandalism ssue. He directed the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to establish an inter-agency security committee to combat the vice. In a hard-hitting statement, Museveni branded the vandals “enemies of progress,” equating vandalism of power lines to acts of sabotage against Uganda’s development.The President also called for stronger security deployment and the installation of CCTV cameras in vandalism-prone areas as part of a strategy to end the menace.
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