UMEME Yaka Units are a prepaid electricity requirement to have an active power connection through Conlog meters in Uganda. Given the fact that digital transformation is on the rise, the UMEME Conlog System requires non-zero Yaka Tokens in order to activate power at your premises.
As a popular norm, getting more Yaka Tokens on every purchase is an ideal goal for every electricity consumer. This is due to the fact that different Tokens are issued each time you opt to purchase Units for your account number.
Well, the fix to garnering more tokens for extended electricity supply is embedded in the fact that you must know how UMEME calculates each purchase to serve you with a specific amount of Units.
On every monthly payment, UMEME deducts a service fee, then URA’s Value Added Tax (VAT) follows suit. This means the actual Units amount is deducted before the paid amount is converted based on your payment date.
How UMEME Yaka Tokens are Calculated
- Service Fee
- VAT (18%)
- Cost per Yaka Unit ( UGX 750.9)
Based on the above prerequisites, Yaka tokens are issued by deducting the UMEME service fee, VAT, and the remaining balance gets you tokens at a rate of UGX 750.9 on your 2nd purchase in a month, and UGX 250 for 15Kwh if it’s your first purchase in a month.
Assuming you wish to spend UGX 20,000 to buy Yaka Tokens
At the Start of the Month (Your first Payment)
- Less Umeme Service Fee = UGX 3,360
- Less VAT = UGX 3,051 (Total VAT + Service Fee = UGX 6,411)
- Balance before Units Purchase = UGX 13,589
- Cost of first 15Kwh at a rate of UGX 250.0 = UGX 3,750
- Balance – Cost of first 15Kwh = UGX 9,839
- Yaka Units worth UGX 9,839 at a rate of UGX 750.9 = 13.1 Units
- First 15Kwh + 13.1 Units (worth UGX 9,839) = 28.1 Units
- TOTAL Received Units = 28.1 Units
In-Between the Month (If you already purchased earlier)
- Less Umeme Service Fee = N/A
- Less VAT = UGX 3,051
- Balance before Units Purchase = UGX 16,949
- Yaka Units worth UGX 16,949 at a rate of UGX 750.9 = 22.5 Units
- TOTAL Received Units = 22.5Units
Assuming you miss 1 Month without Buying Units
- Less Umeme Service Fee = UGX 6,720
- Less VAT = UGX 3,051 (Total VAT + Service Fee = UGX 9,771)
- Balance before Units Purchase = UGX 10,229
- Cost of the current month first 15Kwh at a rate of UGX 250.0 = UGX 3,750
- Balance – Cost of first 15Kwh = UGX 6,479
- Yaka Units worth UGX 6,479 at a rate of UGX 750.9 = 8.6 Units
- First 15Kwh + 8.6 Units (worth UGX 6,379) = 23.6 Units
- TOTAL Received Units = 23.6 Units
Hence, when you miss a month without buying Yaka Tokens, Umeme automatically brings forward your monthly service fee of UGX 3,360. So, if you miss 2 or more months, then you simply multiply your debt by calculating by the number of skipped months.
How to Get More Yaka Units on Every Purchase
To get more Yaka Units each time you intend to buy a Token, you must keep in mind VAT (Value Added Tax) of 15.2% or 18% brought forward on every Yaka purchase.
Then, consider the amount of electricity you consume every month (assuming UGX 20,000). Once noted, pay the full monthly amount at once instead of multiple times to avoid payment charges which rise up on every purchase you make.
For instance, for a UGX 20,000 Yaka Payment, here is what MTN Momo, Airtel Money, Africell Money, and Msente charge:
- MTN Momo – UGX 1,600
- Airtel Money – UGX 1,600
- Africell Money – UGX 1,200
- UTL Msente – UGX 1,000
So, based on your periodic Yaka Units Purchase, Mobile Money transaction charges will stand in your way each time you buy a token. Either way, payment solutions like Payway Wallet, Ezeemoney as well have individual charges when making Utility payments.
Hence, instead of spending extra money on clearing payment charges, you would rather top up your payment amount to garner more Units in a single purchase. Just like that, you’ll get a single Token, but with more Yaka Units on every monthly payment you make.
How to predict how many Yaka Units before buying
Apparently, UMEME provides a self-service billing calculator via umeme.co.ug and through the UMEME App. With the calculator, you simply insert the amount you intend to spend and when you last paid.
Fortunately, both the UMEME App and Website allow you to further see recently issued tokens on top of predicting the number of Units you can get on your next purchase.
Henceforth, UMEME Yaka being a prepaid service, getting the most out of every purchase requires you to level monthly usage, and further consider your default payment channel to avoid any possible overcharges that can be translated into more Yaka Units.