MPs sitting on the parliamentary committee on natural resources have today observed that UMEME’s unwillingness  to declare information regarding the  actual losses the company makes  is a deliberate  trick it uses  to continue getting compensation from government.

The MPs on the committee chaired by Bungokho south MP Michael Werikhe are concerned that the company is robbing the country of huge sums of money in compensation by government.

According to MPs, government compensates UMEME money to a tune of shs1bn for every single unit loss of energy recorded, an action MPs describe as broad day theft.

MPs say that  while a consultant- PB of South Africa was contracted by government to study energy distribution losses and collection rates made by UMEME limited, the company declined to give information on the losses it makes fearing to lose the deal.

This after Rwampara MP Vicent Kyamadidi informed the committee that it was on record  by government  that much as the survey was complete, the establishment of the level of losses which the survey by the consultant- PB aimed at had been hampered by UMEME’s failure to disclose  information to the effect.

The committee is now demanding that UMEME produces to it documented losses the company makes so as to ascertain how much money UMEME is getting on top of cheating Ugandans.

By Isaac Senabulya