Kampala, Uganda — Power has been fully restored across Uganda following a nationwide blackout that disrupted businesses, homes, and essential services on Sunday morning.
According to Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), the outage was caused by a technical fault at the Lugazi Substation, which triggered automatic protection systems and led to a widespread power shutdown at approximately 8:53 a.m. local time on April 12, 2026.
UETCL said its technical teams were immediately deployed to address the fault, successfully restoring electricity supply across the country within about two and a half hours.
The blackout also affected water supply in Kampala and surrounding areas, as pumping systems temporarily went offline. Authorities urged residents to use water sparingly during the disruption.
The outage sparked frustration among residents and businesses, with many reporting interruptions to work, trade, and daily routines. Some political leaders also called for greater accountability and improvements in the country’s power infrastructure.
However, UETCL maintained that the incident was purely technical and not the result of any deliberate action, emphasizing that such automatic shutdown systems are designed to protect the national grid from more severe damage.
Electricity supply has since stabilized, with officials assuring the public of continued monitoring to prevent similar incidents.
