The Politics of Common Sense: Umeme’s Prepaid Electricity Scandal!

If you ever need a “no-nonsense” lawyer in Kampala, Uganda, this is your guy. David F.K. Mpanga takes on the badly managed UMEME, Uganda’s lone, notorious electricity generator.

Now, if you are going to threaten anybody, leave alone a lawyer, with prosecution then you had better cite a law which criminalizes the conduct complained of.  The laws cited in the notice left at my home were completely irrelevant to the alleged offence of “totally refusing Yaka prepaid electricity.” Section 52 of the Electricity Act provides for reversion of a hydropower plant with a generation capacity exceeding 10MW to Government after the expiry of a generation licence. Section 270 of the Penal Code Act provides courts with powers to make compensation orders against people who have been convicted of causing financial loss, embezzlement or theft by agent. In colloquial Luganda “baali banyungako section”!

Civil services won’t get better in Uganda until we have about 5 million David Mpanga’s demanding accountability. This is what social media was made for. Public shaming. Go read the whole thing, then call him and put him on retainer.

via The Politics of Common Sense: Umeme’s Prepaid Electricity Scandal!.