After only two and a half years at the helm, Joshua Karamagi has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer, Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (UETCL).
His resignation came as a shock since his contract had been renewed recently – albeit after the process had dragged out a bit; despite having expressed his interest to continue in the role.
“He chose to resign. He must have had his reasons. His contract had been renewed, (though) it took a bit of time,” said a highly placed source in the electricity industry.
Apparently since the government started streamlining the structure and operations of many of its agencies to improve efficiency and reduce public expenditure under RAPEX (Rationalization of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure), one-year contracts are commonly handed out to workers.
Plans to create the Uganda National Electricity Company Limited (UNECL) to oversee the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity roles under one roof, have also persisted in the industry.
This potential merger of UETCL with the Uganda Electricity Generation Company (UEGCL) and the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company (UEDCL) has kept everyone associated with the three government entities on edge.
UEDCL took over from Umeme in April this year to become the main electricity distribution company in the country.
Sadness, Gratitude
In an email to UETCL staff and the board last Friday, Karamagi noted his “sadness and gratitude” as he stepped down.
He highlighted the completion of the $40m valued Gulu-Agago 132kV line – that relieved government of a monthly deemed energy expenditure of $2.5m – as one of the key projects that stood out under his reign.
The $100m priced Kole-Gulu-Nebbi-Arua 132kV transmission line was another project that Karamagi mentioned in his email, noting it had “finally delivered electricity to West Nile” – a region that has been hit by power blackouts for many years.
He further explained that the UETCL Board of Directors had accepted his resignation and waived the contractual notice requirements; ensuring his resignation took immediate effect, with July 25, 2025 his last day at the company.
“We have built a great team here, and I have every confidence in our staff’s ability to make this a smooth transition for the sake of our projects and customers,” he concluded.
Kwame Ejalu, the board chairman, hailed Karamagi for spearheading the development of UETCL’s five year corporate strategic plan among other achievements.
“The Board has appointed Eng. Richard Matsiko as the acting CEO with immediate effect. Richard is well known to most of you and is well respected in the Electricity Supply Industry,” Ejalu’s letter to the UETCL staff reads in part.
Matsiko, at the Power Forum in 2023
Matsiko started his career as a trainee electrical engineer at the defunct Uganda Electricity Board (UEB) on March 1, 1991 before transitioning to UETCL as a Principal Protection Engineer and rose through the ranks to the position of deputy CEO.
He is also the Chairman, Power Purchase Agreement Committee plus that of the committee charged with delivering the UETCL Towers.
A UETCL employee who spoke to us on condition of anonymity noted that Matsiko was largely unassuming, preferring to let his work do the talking.
“He has always preferred the technical aspects of the job – an area he is well versed with. I doubt he would want to be CEO long-term,” she added.
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