In Uganda, when you hear Electrical engineer the first thing that comes to mind is usually UMEME. The name, the word and the brand have for a long time in this country become synonymous with the electrical engineering profession.

When I, and most definitely a large number of my classmates, joined university almost a decade ago now, many of us dreamt of one day working in UMEME. Often, I conversation with one of my village elders, when I had completed my BSc. I would get asked if I had gotten a job in UMEME yet.

The foregone conclusion is that once you get a degree in electrical engineering the only thing left to do is get a job in UMEME.

My first and not so humble introduction to the Electrical engineering field came in my Second year of engineering school. The task was to secure an Industrial training placement. True to form, practically the whole class applied to the prestigious UMEME, there clearly could not be space for us all so we had to “Spread the eggs” as they say. The options were quite abundant.

So to the aspiring student of Electrical Engineering, the question in your mind may be quite plain and simple: “Where do Electrical engineers find work in Uganda?”

The options are extensive but without being specific I will mention a few;

POWER SECTOR:

This sector is divided into Power Generation, Power transmission and Power Distribution.

The famed and seemingly so popular UMEME falls in the Distribution category and the only other noteworthy name in this category would be WENRECo (West Nile Rural Electrification Company) Also of note in the distribution side would be REA (Rural Electrification Agency).

The transmission sector is the playing field for UETCL (Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited). There isn’t much more to say about this except the license to transmit is held by UETCL.

Power Generation; for a long while there was only one player in this but the recent trends and increase in Dam constructions, thermal plants and most recently solar farms has created many more players in this field. Many of the players are sub-contracted or licensed by UEGCL (I stand to be corrected if I am wrong).

Regulation: to regulate the power sector there exists a Body; The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA). The players in the sector have to comply with the rules and regulations set out by this body.

INDUSTRIES:

Large and medium scale industries often run relatively sophisticated machinery that is often operated on high voltages. As such it never comes as a shock to find an electrical engineer working in one of these industries. From sugar factories to large hotel buildings.

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION:

 A good number of electrical engineers are gainfully employed in the education and research. Many of the academicians that lectured or taught and even still teach at the university are professional engineers. I personally believe you cannot teach what you have not yourself learned.

TELECOMMUNICATION:

The telecommunication and IT sector also serve as outlets for fresh electrical engineering graduates and experienced electrical engineers. These are also among the most sought after jobs with the associated prestige from working at a global company like MTN, Airtel or even Ericsson.

OTHERS:

Often in life, the end justifies the means. As such people do whatever is required to make the ends meet. Hence it should come as no shock that some engineers have entered the audit and accounting worlds which are not exactly the most obvious jobs for an engineer.

It should be noted that this is not an exhaustive list, there may be many more outlets that I was not able to elaborate like the Petroleum sector that seems to grow with every passing year and the government ministries and agencies.