UEDCL’s property risks being attached over ex-workers’ pay

 

Some of the suspected idlers, who were arrested in the city centre last week, at Central Police Station. PHOTO BY Andrew Bagala
 

By  EPHRAIM KASOZI

In Summary

Employees of the defunct UEB claim their benefits were not paid when the company was liquidated.

A Kampala court has summoned Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) to explain why company property should not be sold to recover benefits of former workers of the defunct Uganda Electricity Board (UEB).

The power distributor is slated to appear before court on Thursday this week for hearing of the application for execution.

“…An application has been made to this court for execution of the order by way of attachment and sale of immovable property comprised UEDCL Tower Plot 37, Nakasero Road, Kampala. You are hereby required to appear before this court on April 18,” reads part of the summons issued by Mr Isaac Muwata, the deputy registrar of the Execution Division of the High Court on Friday.

The former UEB workers, whose services were terminated during the privatisation process in the 1999, are also seeking attachment of bank accounts of the electricity company.

The court summons arise out of the case in which about 1,500 ex-workers of the defunct UEB sued both companies together its liquidator, UEB, and the Attorney General, for pension and gratuity.
Court documents indicate that the group has since obtained a partial judgment of more than Shs47 billion for non-payment of their terminal benefits.

The previous attempt
The new Electricity Act was passed on November 1, 1999, leading to the establishment of the Electricity Regulatory Authority.

Documents before court indicate that last year, the ex-workers attached the accounts of UETCL, UEDCL and its liquidator UEB but the company privatisation unit intervened and the accounts were released by the lawyers to enable negotiations to settle the claim.

According to the workers’ representative, Mr Henry Kyambadde, the said negotiations have not yielded any result, prompting them to seek for court intervention.