Two former UMEME employees arrested over electricity vandalism in Bombo

Luwero, Uganda: The Territorial Police in the Savannah Region on Friday arrested and detained two former UMEME employees in connection with the vandalism of electricity infrastructure following a joint security operation conducted on the day’s early morning.

According to Sam Twiineamazima, the Police Spokesperson for Savannah Region, the operation, conducted at around 7:30 AM on November 14, targeted individuals suspected of sabotaging electricity installations in the Bombo area.

“A joint operation was carried out in the Bombo area targeting individuals involved in the vandalism of electricity infrastructure,” Twiineamazima confirmed.

The arrested suspects were identified as: Kamoga Godfrey, resident of Bajjo Kisingiri Village, and Kasaga Geoffrey, resident of Namaliga West Village, both employees of UMEME, the country’s former electricity distributor, whose infrastructure, now under UEDCL (Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd), has increasingly come under attack by vandals across the country.

SP Twiineamazima said the suspects led officers to multiple storage locations in Nkokonjeru and Bajjo, where several pieces of stolen electrical equipment were recovered.

Among the items retrieved were:- 2 rolls of bare conductors, 5 rolls of three-phase ABC wires, Small single-phase ABC cables, Pliers and other electrical tools used for illegal connections. The items are believed to have been stolen from electricity transmission lines, disrupting power supply and posing safety risks to communities.

Savannah Police said the suspects and the recovered exhibits have been transferred to CID Headquarters in Kibuli for further investigations and processing, while more arrests are expected as security forces widen into possible networks involved in the vandalism of national electricity infrastructure.