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.
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