By Andrew Irumba
Kampala: Power distributor Umeme Limited has finally spoken out about Rashid Ssembajwe, who was electrocuted on Thursday in Mukono town, on top of an electric pole.
Shortly after Spy Uganda published the unfortunate incident about the electrocuted ‘Electrician’, the Umeme customer care desk got in touch with our newsroom via WhataApp and clarified that though they regret the unfortunate incident, Ssembajwe was not their employee, because there’s no Umeme staff that puts on orange uniform.
Umeme told TheSpy Uganda that “It is a regrettable incident. However he is not our employee. That’s not our uniform.”
A source at Umeme who preferred anonymity told us that “He could have been a contractor hired to lay a communication cable (fibr or cable TV) at Mukono Taxi park.”
A source privy with networking systems told us that although Umeme doesn’t deal in fibre network cables, there are some companies that illegally run their fibre optic cables along Umeme lines.
However, Umeme regularly inspects their power lines and one wonders how communication companies can illegally run cables along the power lines without supervisors noticing and apprehending them.
Umeme Warns Public On Safety
With heavy rains pouring across the country, Umeme Ltd, the power distributor, is cautioning the public to be viligant against fallen poles and sagging lines.
Umeme encourages the public to report illegal connections and power thefts through the utility’s various free communication channels.
“I want to appeal to the public to support us by reporting incidents of illegal connections that continue to claim innocent lives,” he said.
At least 10 people die weekly due to electrocution in Uganda, according to the 2014 Uganda Police Force Crime Report.
Most of the cases are reportedly in eastern Uganda and Metropolitan Kampala city, especially in the slums where there are high cases of illegal power connections.
In the city slums, residents connect power through usually buried bare cables. Most of these cables are exposed to water during the rainy season, causing injuries and in worst cases deaths.
In 2016, Umeme organized a campaign dubbed “Wuuyo,” which was aimed at creating awareness on the dangers of illegal power connections, thefts and vandalism.
Umeme believes that by creating public awareness, will help prevent electricity-related injuries and fatalities to the public.
“The key objective for us is to create awareness for safe use of electricity and to alert the public on what to do in the event of an electrical accident,” he said.
He asked the public to be vigilant by reporting all illegal connections, unsafe network conditions or broken poles and conductors through the utility’s various free communication channels.
