KAMPALA.Uganda was plunged into total darkness on Friday night following a massive system failure on the national grid, rekindling public frustration over chronic power instability just as the country transitions into a new era of state-managed electricity.
The nationwide blackout occurred at exactly 9:07 PM on June 5, 2026, according to an emergency notice issued by the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL).
In a statement, UETCL confirmed that its technical teams had been deployed to investigate the root cause and restore the grid, offering regrets for the widespread inconvenience.
While UETCL manages the high-voltage transmission, the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) also issued an urgent outage alert to its customers, attributing the shutdown to the transmission network. However, top energy officials appeared brief on the exact details of the crisis.
When contacted, Stephen Illungole, the Head of Communications at UEDCL, confirmed the system failure but referred further inquiries to the regional management.
“That’s true, but you contact Mohammad Lubogo, that is his jurisdiction. I don’t have details,” Illungole said in response to inquiries.
Efforts to reach Lubogo were unsuccessful as repeated calls went unanswered. Meanwhile, Julius Wandera, the Director of Communications at the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), also circulated a public notice acknowledging the national blackout. Highly placed sources within the sector pointed to an unconfirmed fault at the Owen Falls Dam (Nalubaale Power Station) in Jinja as the trigger for the collapse.
This latest system collapse serves as a reality check for Ugandan consumers. For years, citizens endured high tariffs, frequent load-shedding, and sluggish customer service under the private distributor, Umeme. The recent departure of Umeme—marking the end of its 20-year concession—was widely celebrated, giving Ugandans renewed hope that state-led management under UEDCL would usher in a reliable, efficient, and affordable energy sector.
However, Friday’s total grid failure revives painful memories of past nationwide blackouts that have historically crippled businesses, darkened hospitals, and frustrated households. For many, the incident is a sobering reminder that removing Umeme was only the first step; the government now faces the monumental task of upgrading aging infrastructure at generation points like Jinja to prevent the country from slipping back into an era of perpetual darkness.