Energy and Mineral Minister Ruth Nankabirwa had appointed Stella Marie Biwaga Cingtho as the new chairperson of the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL). Who exactly is new UEDCL boss Stella Marie Biwaga Cingtho?
Stella Marie Biwaga Cingtho replaces Lydia Ochieng Obbo who was fired as the UEDCL Board Chairperson on May 02, 2026. Stella Marie Biwaga Cingtho will serve in interim capacity.
“To ensure continuity of operations and stability in service delivery, the shareholders have appointed an interim Board Chairperson Ms Stella-Marie Biwaga Cingtho,” announced Nankabirwa.
Minister Ruth Nankabirwa also announced that UEDCL Managing Director Paul Mwesigwa had been sent on forced leave.
Stella Marie Biwaga Cingtho is a lawyer by profession, advocate of the High Court of Uganda with over 16 years’ experience. Stella holds a Masters of Laws Degree in Oil & Gas; Post Graduate Diploma in Governance and Development – Natural Resources Management; Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice of Law Development Center and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) of Makerere University.
Biwaga possesses diverse experience in balance scorecard strategy development and implementation, gender and social justice, human rights, economic empowerment, gender equality, child related programming, community-based approaches, women leadership development programming, policy advocacy and litigation. Project design, implementation, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation with strong stakeholder engagement and management.
Biwaga has served and still serves on a number of Boards and these include: Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC); National Pipeline Company (U) Ltd (NPC); Action Africa Help International; Chairperson Action Africa Help International – Uganda Advisory Board; Blessed Hands Community Development (BHCD); Free Child Uganda (FCU); member of Uganda Law Society; member of East Africa Law Society; member FIDA-Uganda; member of Women in Energy and Extractives Network (WEEN); and St. James Catholic Church Bbiina Parish, Kampala Archdiocese – Executive Committee Member (Legal Advisory).
She has previously worked in various capacities at National Association of Women Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU) and Women Leadership Development (WLEDE); Ssebunya Turyagenda & Co. Advocates; FIDA-Uganda; Ethiopia Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) Addis Ababa.
Stella Marie Biwaga Cingtho is a legal professional and an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda with more than 16 years of experience. She holds a Master of Laws in Oil and Gas, a Postgraduate Diploma in Governance and Development with a focus on Natural Resources Management, a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre, and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Makerere University.
Her expertise spans a wide range of areas, including balanced scorecard strategy development and execution, gender and social justice, human rights, economic empowerment, gender equality, child-focused programming, and community-based initiatives. She is also experienced in women’s leadership development, policy advocacy, and litigation, as well as project design, implementation, budgeting, monitoring, and evaluation, complemented by strong stakeholder engagement and management skills.
Stella has served, and continues to serve, on several boards. These include the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), National Pipeline Company (U) Ltd (NPC), Action Africa Help International, where she also chairs the Uganda Advisory Board, Blessed Hands Community Development (BHCD), and Free Child Uganda (FCU).
She is a member of the Uganda Law Society, the East Africa Law Society, FIDA-Uganda, and the Women in Energy and Extractives Network (WEEN). In addition, she serves on the Executive Committee (Legal Advisory) of St. James Catholic Church Bbiina Parish in the Kampala Archdiocese.
Previously, Stella has held various roles at the National Association of Women Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU) and Women Leadership Development (WLEDE), as well as at Ssebunya Turyagenda & Co. Advocates, FIDA-Uganda, and the Ethiopia Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) in Addis Ababa.
Read our earlier story on the firing of the UEDCL Board Chairperson and the decision to send Managing Director Paul Mwesigwa on forced leave Here.
It should be remembered that UEDCL took over from UMEME in a buyout deal that raised eyebrows because of the money that taxpayers would pay to UMEME to leave, as reported Here and There.
Meanwhile, you can read about government that will scrapped or merging starting July 2026 — which include UEDCL — as detailed HERE.
