The Members of the Parliamentary committee on Environment and Natural Resources have voiced their concerns regarding the lack of preparedness by the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) during the transition of management from UMEME to UEDCL.
The MPs have attributed the ongoing blackouts across the country to the confusion and lack of readiness on ERA’s part at the end of the Umeme concession.
The committee led by Kazo county MP Dan Kimosho, learned during discussions with UEDCL and ERA officials that there was no adequate contingency plan in place for UEDCL to invest in the distribution network, which hindered a seamless transition.
The committee also noted that UEDCL only began its investment after taking over on April 1, 2025, following a period of decreased investment in the power distribution network, which has contributed to the frequent outages people are facing.
Dr. Geofrey Okoboi, the Director of Economic Regulation at ERA, disclosed that UEDCL invested $20 million compared to UMEME’s annual investment of $70 million in the power distribution network.
He assured the committee that UMEME had handed over all assets to UEDCL using the asset register.
“All the assets that include the land, vehicles are domiciled in the name of UEDCL. So at the handover time all those assets were already with what? UEDCL. Because the titles are held by UEDCL. Including even the motor vehicle registration numbers. That was the requirement. So the only issue that was outstanding is the network,” Mr Okoboi said.
The lawmakers expressed skepticism about how the regulator can effectively plan for and utilize the $129 million budget allocated for investment, given the apparent confusion.
