The Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) is turning up the heat with its high-powered WETEREZeeee campaign, a bold nationwide amnesty drive urging Ugandans to legalize all illegal or tampered electricity connections before the 31st December 2025 deadline.
Launched in July 2025, the campaign offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for households, businesses, and institutions to regularize their electricity supply without incurring penalties. After the deadline, enforcement will intensify nationwide.
Speaking at the official launch, Paul Mwesigwa, the UEDCL Managing Director, described the initiative as a “one-off opportunity” aimed at enhancing public safety, reducing technical losses, and restoring integrity in the national distribution network.
Uganda continues to suffer huge economic and human costs due to illegal connections and electricity vandalism. According to UEDCL:
- System losses hit 17.3% in 2024.
- Power theft and vandalism cost Uganda billions of shillings every year.
- 18 fatalities were recorded last year due to unsafe wiring and illegal connections.
UEDCL warns that beyond the financial bleeding, illegal power use endangers entire communities through electrocutions, house fires, and overloaded transformers that cause widespread blackouts.
The “WETEREZeeee” movement has taken on a life of its own, gaining massive momentum across trading centres, villages, schools, and social media. With a blend of humour, relatable storytelling, and streetwise language, the campaign urges Ugandans to be careful, responsible, and compliant with electricity use.
UEDCL teams are engaging community leaders, boda stages, markets, churches, schools, LC officials, and landlords to spread the message and demystify the legalization process.
“There’ll be no penalties, no fines, no arrests — just come forward and fix your connection. After the deadline, the law will take its course,” Mwesigwa emphasized.
The campaign seeks to address:
- Illegal connections that cause deadly accidents
- Meter bypassing that weakens the entire grid
- Vandalism of power lines, transformer oil, and cables
- Tampering that distorts billing and slows network expansion
- Mushrooming unqualified electricians putting lives at risk
Every illegal wire, UEDCL notes, is a direct attack on Uganda’s development.
UEDCL is calling on all Ugandans to take advantage of the amnesty window while it remains open. Anyone unsure about their connection status is encouraged to apply through the official portal:
