UMEME has come out to confirm Yaka Meters will stop functioning in October, 2024 and migrate to a new system.
The Ministry of Energy in Uganda officially announced on Friday plans to phase out the existing prepaid electric metering system, locally known as Yaka.
Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa revealed this decision during a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre. Prepaid electricity users are required to migrate to the new Token Identification System (TID Rollover) by October 2024.
The transition to the TID Rollover system implies a departure from the current Token Identifiers (TID).
Minister Nankabirwa emphasized that the global recognition of this standard of metering enables consumers to seamlessly switch electricity payments between utility providers.
The move aims to have all Uganda’s electricity consumers with Yaka meters migrated onto the new system by the set deadline of November, 2024.
As part of broader reforms in Uganda’s power sector, the government has proposed introducing electricity tokens from various operators, moving away from the current Yaka system provided by Umeme Uganda Limited.
These changes align with the Electricity (Amendment) Act, 2022, which aims to break the monopoly in the power sector and is already influencing the impending exit of UMEME.