ECONOMIC TERRORISM! IDIOT Vandal Dies in Daring Midnight Attack on UETCL Power Line, Plunges Nation Into Blackout
Panic, shock, and whispers of “the gods have spoken” swept through Nakapinyi Village in Mukono after a man believed to be part of a notorious power-line vandalism gang died in a bungled, high-risk attempt to cut down a high-voltage UETCL transmission tower.
The dramatic incident occurred in the dead of the night between 18th and 19th November 2025, as a crew of unidentified vandals allegedly descended on the massive steel tower feeding electricity from the Namawojolo sub-station. According to investigators, as the gang cut through the tower’s angle bars, the structure shifted — fatally trapping one of them mid-operation.
By morning, villagers woke up to a chilling sight:
a man in a blue overall suspended lifelessly on the giant metal frame, his tools scattered below. A second tower, half a kilometre away, was also found damaged, suggesting the group had been on a calculated mission.
Police and ERA officials quickly cordoned off the area, collecting statements, photographing the scene, and launching a full-scale hunt for the suspects who fled, leaving their colleague behind.
“Preliminary findings show he was part of a group cutting the tower (pyron). The structure trapped him during the attempted collapse,”
said ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, Deputy PRO, Kampala Metropolitan Police.
Security sources say the vandalism contributed to the nationwide power disruptions that left Ugandans fuming during the week — and investigators are treating the case as a coordinated sabotage attempt.
The deceased’s body is yet to be safely retrieved due to the high-risk position in which it is stuck. Police say it will undergo post-mortem as efforts intensify to identify him and the rest of the gang.
Meanwhile, residents — still shaken — say the incident is the clearest warning yet that Uganda’s power network is no playground.
In a statement, the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) confirmed that multiple towers on the line had been vandalised, triggering a major outage.
“Our technical team has been dispatched to assess the damage and restore supply in the shortest time possible,” UETCL stated. Police have begun investigations into what they termed “a dangerous and criminal act.”
The incident has ignited outrage online, with thousands of Ugandans taking to X (formerly Twitter) to vent their frustration.
Some questioned how ordinary vandals could possibly bring down a 132kV high-voltage transmission line.
Several commenters suggested that only individuals with technical knowledge, tools, and access could disarm and topple such infrastructure.
Economic terrorism
Others said the act amounted to an attack on the entire country.
“This is terrorism. Get one and charge them with treason.”
“We cannot sit and watch infrastructure funded by taxpayers’ money being destroyed like this!”
Scrap dealers under fire
Many users blamed the booming scrap-metal business, arguing that rising demand is fueling the destruction of public infrastructure.
“Just ban scrap business in Uganda!”
“Start with scrap buyers. They are the real market driving this vandalism.”
“Install CCTV cameras on every tower!”
Ugandans questioned why UETCL invests billions in repairs but not in preventative surveillance.
“Why not erect CCTV on every tower instead of repairing the same lines again and again?”
“In this era of solar cameras and high-tech alarms, what is UETCL waiting for?”
One engineer even offered to help:
“I am open to designing a pilot surveillance system. Let’s work together to protect these assets.”
Residents near Mbiko also pointed fingers at illegal settlement patterns.
“Work on the issue of people settling under transmission lines at Nile Mbiko. For once, do the right thing.”
Alex Muhangi joined the debate, calling for harsher penalties.
“We need tougher security measures. It should even be the death penalty because vandals can never compensate for this kind of damage.”
This is not the first time Uganda’s power towers have mysteriously collapsed. A similar incident in 2024 triggered nationwide blackouts, with investigations back then also pointing to vandalism — but no conclusive arrests were made.
Ugandans fear a recurring pattern and want UETCL to implement contingency plans to prevent such crippling outages.
As investigations begin, citizens are urging the government and UETCL to: Regulate or ban scrap-metal trading, deploy drones, CCTV and foot patrols along power lines, strengthen intelligence around critical infrastructure and crease penalties for vandalism.
As the government urges vigilance, many Ugandans are asking a more uncomfortable question:
Who is really behind the vandalism of Uganda’s power grid?
More updates to follow as the high-stakes investigation unfolds.
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