The Effectiveness of the Law in Protecting Electricity Consumers in Uganda: A Systematic Review

Background. Uganda liberalized its electricity sector under the Electricity Act of 1999 and created an independent regulator, yet consumers continue to face problems of access, affordability, and supply. How effectively the law protects electricity consumers in Uganda has not been reviewed systematically. Objective. To identify, appraise, and synthesize the scholarly evidence on the legal and regulatory protection of electricity consumers in Uganda and how effective it is in practice. Methods. The review followed PRISMA 2020. In which Consensus and Core were searched with natural-language queries, and records were imported into Zotero on 23rd –24th October 2026. In total, 245 records were identified and 150 unique records screened. Eleven reports were sought for eligibility assessment, of which 5 could not be retrieved, and 6 were assessed. Studies were eligible if they analysed the law, regulations, institutions or outcomes affecting electricity consumers in Uganda. Quality was appraised with a six-domain instrument, and findings were synthesised thematically. Results. Five studies (2019–2023) were included: A World Bank case study of power-sector reform A mixed-methods study of slum electricity access A comparative energy governance study A systematic review of electricity security and an econometric study of affordability and theft. Four themes emerged: Regulatory institutions and sector reformAccess and affordability as consumer outcomes Governance gaps and weak transparency Electricity theft as an enforcement problem No included study analyses consumer rights, billing, disconnection, complaints, or redress under Uganda's Electricity Act Cap 157, or the work of the Electricitym Disputes Tribunal. Conclusion The Ugandan literature describes consumer outcomes and governance weaknesses but rarely examines the law that protects consumers. The effectiveness of that law is therefore largely unmeasured. Priorities are a doctrinal analysis of the Electricity Act and its regulations, complaint and tribunal data, and studies of billing, disconnection and redress. Five relevant reports could not be retrieved.