Joselynne Rwabwogo Rwakakooko has been appointed the new Managing Director at the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited, a day after her predecessor, Paul Mwesigwa, was sent on “forced leave.”

In a May 2, 2026 statement, Stella Marie Biwaga Cingtho, the new company board chairperson, wrote that Rwabwogo would bring a wealth of experience to the role having served within UEDCL’s senior management team while possessing over 20 years of experience in electricity distribution, commercial operations, and large-scale utility management.

“She has a proven track record of leading institutional transformation, improving operational performance, and delivering sustainable growth within complex and evolving power sector environments,” notes Biwaga.

The appointments of Rwabwogo and Biwaga follow a weekend of transition at the company, where the latter replaced Lydia Ochieng-Obbo, in what Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, called “routine governance and oversight procedures that will help strengthen institutional performance, accountability, and service delivery.”

Since taking over the national power distribution contract from Umeme on April 1, 2025, UEDCL has had to contend with disgruntled customers complaining of a drop in the quality of service.

Mwesigwa’s reign at the helm of the state company became untenable in November last year when Nankabirwa called for his sacking due to these difficulties.

He was only saved after Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja’s intervened in early December.

However, this did not stop Nankabirwa from continuing with a performance review of UEDCL’s management that had been prompted by critical report of the company’s operations by the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA).

Full Plate

Apparently, operational and managerial gaps within the company have negatively affected service delivery, including a decline in electricity reliability, delayed integration of mandatory ICT systems, prolonged delays in making new connections in addition to procurement and human resource governance issues.

There was also a surge in electricity losses noted on the network.

A UEDCL truck laden with equipment

An electrical engineer by training, Rwabwogo has been serving as Chief Commercial and Operations Officer at UEDCL for just over a year.

She previously worked at Umeme for 11 years as both Head of Network Operations and as the Customer Service Engineering Manager.

“I bring a proven track record in utility reform, revenue optimisation, loss reduction, and customer-centric transformation, with deep experience in managing grid operations and large-scale electrification programmes,” she says on her LinkedIn account.

She adds: “My work has focused on strengthening operational discipline, improving service reliability, and delivering measurable commercial outcomes in complex and evolving power sector environments.”

It remains to be seen whether these attributes will help her stabilize the electricity distribution subsector, especially seeing that UEDCL’s troubles go beyond human capacity.

For instance, its network infrastructure remains in poor health, while the company’s balance sheet remains weak.

Following UEDCL’s takeover of Umeme’s distribution concession, it was noted that the network required urgent upgrades, including the replacement of 3,500 overloaded transformers and 47,000 rotten poles.

Key infrastructure repairs on high-voltage lines, substations, underground cables, smart meters and anti-vandalism measures to stabilize power, were also a must.

The company, though, has not been fully capitalized yet.

At the public hearing to deliberate on its takeover from Umeme in October 2024, Mwesigwa noted that UEDCL would need UGX 4.02 trillion to fund a three year transition plan, starting April 1, 2025.

Mwesigwa at the public hearing in October 2024

This included a $435 million loan guaranteed by the Ministry of Finance to manage the takeover, with a focus on digitized operations, a stabilized network and staff retention.

In December 2025, UEDCL secured a five-year $50 million loan from Absa Bank to help it upgrade, expand, and stabilize the network.