In a bizarre development, electricity in and around the city was found on without any load shedding even during heavy downpours and energy experts have narrowed it down to a new hi-tech virus in the UMEME servers which is causing this disturbance in the normal load shedding routine.
Random reports began surfacing about three weeks back when the electricity distributor’s customers started complaining to UMEME’s customer support as they kept wondering why electricity was still on even when it was raining cats and dogs. After several such complaints in a short span of time, The UMEME tech team investigated and has concluded that a virus has intruded in the YAKA system causing such serious malfunctions.
“This is some kind of cyber attack,” an IT expert in the tech department of UMEME said, “Mafia gangs have planted a bug in our YAKA system and the bug is spreading fast. This could be either by other government departments to malign UMEME as the only entity that fails to predict rains, or it could be by the opposition parties who want to disrupt normal life of people in the city.”
City residents UCN talked to are too are unhappy and want the electricity distribution provider to get rid of the virus as soon as the possible. “Load shedding had become integral part of our lives during heavy rains. We’d often enjoy candle-lit dinners, no noise from discos, and less Yaka bills whenever it rains,” Janat Karisimbi from Kololo told our reporter.
When our reporter visited most of the slums around the city, thieves, burglars and thugs accused UMEME of threatening their livelihood.
“Just like farmers, we welcome rains as we are sure electricity will go off and we then use the cover of darkness to make an honest living”, Sula Kabadiya, a veteran local thief in Kibuli told UCN. “Suddenly there is a void. It feels were are not in Kampala,” he added.
Many other UMEME customers are too are cautious over this unusual development. “This is frightening! Earlier electricity would go off even when my wife put out a few wet clothes to dry on the live wires hanging next to our uniport, now the lights do not blink even with the heaviest downpour! Something is not right,” said Corporal Opolot Samson from Nsambya Barracks in Kampala.
Meanwhile, KCCA is wondering if they can somehow get the city sewerage system infected by the same virus so that it works even during the rainy season.
