Fire Destroys Over 10 Businesses as Traders Blame UEDCL

A catastrophic fire swept through a commercial stretch in Kayunga town, destroying more than 10 houses, retail shops, salons, stores, and food outlets, leaving property worth millions of shillings reduced to ashes.

The blaze, which broke out unexpectedly, triggered widespread panic as traders and local residents joined forces with police officers to break open locked premises, allowing firefighters to direct water hoses inside and contain the spreading flames.

Despite joint rescue efforts, several business owners lost all their merchandise—some having fully restocked their shops just hours before the disaster.

“Yesterday we had just stocked the shop with goods, but today everything has been burnt,” lamented a distraught trader. “Many people could not save anything because the fire spread so quickly.”

Amid the confusion, police intervened to apprehend several suspects caught attempting to loot goods salvaged from the burning buildings.

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Frustrated residents and business owners directed blame at the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL), citing persistent power fluctuations and unresolved electrical faults in the area as the primary trigger.

Locals revealed that recurring contact between tree branches and high-voltage power lines had created known fire hazards that were repeatedly reported to UEDCL without effective resolution.

“The electricity has become a problem here. It keeps developing faults, and we suspect this contributed to the fire,” a local resident stated. “We have reported these problems several times, but nothing much has been done.”

Fire Brigade Speaks Out on Negligent Wiring and Traffic Delays

Sergeant Jude Oluka, commander of the Nansana Fire and Rescue Unit, confirmed that emergency crews worked under difficult conditions to salvage what remained of the properties.

While acknowledging the severity of the blaze, Sgt. Oluka highlighted widespread public negligence regarding building safety standards. He warned property owners against using unqualified technicians to carry out electrical installations.

“Many Ugandans are negligent. They use people who are not trained to do electrical wiring, and this can cause fires to spread quickly from one building to another,” Sgt. Oluka cautioned.

He further appealed to motorists to show civic discipline on public roads, noting that delayed emergency response times are often caused by drivers refusing to yield to sirens and emergency vehicles.

In the aftermath of the disaster, affected traders called on the government to station more firefighting equipment and specialized trucks at nearby police stations across developing urban hubs to prevent similar catastrophes.