Written By | Our Reporter
Photos: Cohen Kyampene, Igara West Constituency seat aspirant
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Bushenyi
Igara West NRM flag bearer Cohen Amanya Kyampene is facing backlash over alleged illegal electricity connections in Bitooma Town Council, with residents saying the move has put lives and property in immediate danger. For eight months, homes and businesses have reportedly been connected to transformers without meters, UEDCL approval, or safety inspections. There were no formal permits—only wires, poles, and connections allegedly funded by Kyampene.
Residents claim a private company—whose name they declined to disclose—working together with a local electrician installed the power lines free of charge, in what they describe as a “political mobilisation tool.”
“We are scared. One spark can burn 50 houses in minutes,” said shopkeeper Moses Arinaitwe.
Another resident, Nelson Mandela, said Kyampene personally promised formal electrification. “He told us to buy cables, and he would provide the poles. People thought it was official. Now we fear for our lives,” Mandela said.
Despite UEDCL offices being only a few kilometres away, the illegal lines reportedly reappear after repeated disconnections. “Someone must be helping him behind the scenes,” said a source who requested anonymity. “How does an individual buy electricity poles, cables, and hire electricians without UEDCL approval?”
Analysts have linked the developments to Kyampene’s rivalry with Tugume Boniface, who narrowly lost the NRM primaries. Tugume had promised to connect locals to electricity using his own resources—a strategy Kyampene is now accused of replicating through unsafe shortcuts.
“People here are desperate for services, and candidates know it,” said an anonymous political analyst. “Electricity has become a campaign weapon.” 
LC I Chairperson Samuel Mugizi confirmed the confusion among residents. “People thought this was a government project. UEDCL confiscated the cables and warned us. That is when we realised it was something else,” he said.
In October last year, UEDCL Managing Director Paul Mwesigwa announced a nationwide three-month amnesty for illegal power users to formalise their connections or face prosecution. He warned that vandalism and electricity theft were costing the government billions of shillings and undermining supply reliability.
For Bitooma residents, the risk remains real, as homes and businesses are still exposed to fire hazards while the state continues to lose revenue.
Officials at UEDCL and the Ministry of Energy declined to comment when contacted. Cohen Amanya Kyampene was also unavailable for comment by press time.
