In short: Solmast supplies solar street lights, anti-climb steel poles and LED heads from Kunming, China, to Ugandan contractors and distributors. Each offer includes a lighting calculation with the IES file showing the road reaches the required level (about 9 lux on urban roads), an energy balance that holds at the end of the warranty, the tender documents and samples. Shipments go with a UNBS PVoC certificate of conformity.
Uganda’s own review of the World Bank–funded USMID programme found only 54.7 % of second-phase road projects met the 9 lux minimum, and recommended computer lighting designs, pre-shipment checks, anti-vandal designs and at least three years of maintenance. Buyers now ask for exactly that.
What Ugandan tenders ask for, and what we provide
| Typical requirement | What we provide |
|---|---|
| PPDA registration; many tenders reserved for local providers | You bid; we support you as the manufacturer with documents and samples. |
| Computer lighting design (e.g. DIALux) with the luminaire’s IES file | Calculation for your road with the IES file of the offered model. |
| About 9 lux (0.75 cd/m²) on urban roads, measured at handover | Design margin for maintenance and end-of-warranty battery capacity. |
| Anti-vandal design | Battery inside the luminaire or high on the pole, tamper-proof fixings, anti-climb spikes on 9 m poles. |
| Pre-shipment inspection and test reports | Third-party inspection accepted; test reports for the offered model in the producing factory’s name with our authorisation. |
| Maintenance and spares | Spare parts list with the offer; warranty terms in writing. |
Sized for Kampala
We simulated a solar street light night by night on ten years of NASA daily sunshine data (2015–2024). For Kampala, the worst month averages 4.74 kWh/m²/day (July).
| Design | Dark nights per year in the simulation |
|---|---|
| Panel sized exactly to the worst month, 3 nights of battery | 7.0 |
| Panel 30 % larger, 2 nights of battery | 0 |
| Panel 30 % larger, 3 nights of battery (our usual design) | 0 |
Our own simulation; see how many days of autonomy a solar street light needs for the method. Every offer states the panel, battery and dimming profile so the result can be checked.
Recommended configurations
| Road | Typical class | Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Residential street, market road | P3–P4 | All-in-one solar street light, 6–8 m pole |
| Town centre, collector road | P1–P2 or M5 | Split system or high-output all-in-one, 8–9 m pole |
| Main road, dual carriageway | M3–M4 | Split system with battery high on the pole, or grid LED street lights |
| Junctions, roundabouts, yards | C classes | High masts or double-arm poles |
Import documents
Solar equipment is a regulated category under Uganda’s PVoC programme: each shipment needs a certificate of conformity from a UNBS-appointed agency, based on test reports from an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory and an inspection. UNBS updated its compulsory standards from January 2026, so we confirm the applicable standards for the HS code before production.
How to order from Uganda
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Send the tender or road data | Bill of quantities, specification, road widths, pole spacing and the lighting class or lux target. |
| 2. Offer and engineering | Configuration, lighting calculation with IES file, energy balance for Kampala, documents list and warranty terms. |
| 3. Samples | Sample light for your bid or approval. |
| 4. Order and production | Production to the approved sample; video updates on request. |
| 5. Inspection and certificate | Third-party inspection and the import certificate of conformity before shipment. |
| 6. Shipment | FOB, CIF or DAP, with packing list and installation guide. |
Our commitments
| Commitment | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reply and quotation | We reply within one working day and normally quote within two working days once we have the project data. |
| Engineering with the offer | A lighting calculation with the IES file and an energy balance for your site, so evaluators can check the design. |
| Samples | Samples or prototypes for approval before production, with photos and video. |
| Factory visit or video audit | Visit our partner production bases near Kunming, or ask for a live video tour of the workshops and your order. |
| Third-party inspection | SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek or your own inspector before shipment. |
| Terms | FOB, CIF or DAP quotations; OEM marking under your own brand on request. |
| First order from your market | Sample terms for a first order from a new market can be discussed, case by case. Ask us when you send the project. |
We work with contractors and distributors in Uganda. Distributors who want to carry Solmast under their own marking can ask about OEM supply. For the tender side, read our Uganda tender guide.