Nationwide Power Blackout Plunges Uganda Into Darkness

Uganda has experienced a nationwide electricity blackout following a reported grid failure that disrupted power supply across major towns and cities, forcing businesses, hospitals, and households to rely on backup systems as engineers work to restore stability.  

In a public notice issued on Friday night, the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (UEDCL) announced that the blackout was triggered by a failure in the national power grid, as reported by the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), the country’s bulk power supplier.

Our power supplier, UETCL, has notified us of a nationwide grid outage affecting electricity supply, UEDCL said in a statement addressed to customers.

The unexpected outage left homes, businesses, hospitals and critical infrastructure without electricity, raising concerns over economic losses and public safety. Major towns and cities, including Kampala, Jinja, Gulu and Mbarara, were among those affected, with many residents reporting complete darkness.

UETCL’s technical teams were deployed to assess the cause of the failure and restore electricity as quickly as possible, though no official timeline was immediately provided for full restoration of power.

The company’s statement offered reassurance to affected consumers, noting that their technical teams are working to restore supply as quickly as possible.  

The blackout severely disrupted commercial activities. Businesses relying heavily on electricity, particularly in the manufacturing, retail, and hospitality sectors, were forced to either halt operations entirely or switch to costly backup generators. Health facilities were also affected, though many major hospitals managed to activate emergency power systems to maintain critical life-saving services.

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Such nationwide outages, while rare, highlight underlying vulnerabilities in Uganda’s power transmission infrastructure and underscore the urgent need for increased investment in grid stability and redundancy systems.

By press time, the exact cause of the grid failure had not been disclosed, and officials had not yet indicated whether the outage resulted from technical faults, system overload, or external factors.

UEDCL apologized for the inconvenience caused and appealed to the public for patience as restoration efforts continued. Authorities are expected to provide further updates as investigations into the outage progress and restoration efforts advance.