Power outages in Kampala to end by August 8th - Energy Minister

• Musenero said Kampala's planned power outages will end by August 8, 2026.

• The outages are linked to the final phase of the Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project.

• The JICA-funded project is 91 per cent complete and includes new and upgraded substations.

The recent power outages in Kampala and surrounding areas could come to an end, the Ministry of Energy has announced 

Energy Minister Monica Musenero says the prolonged power outages affecting parts of the capital city and other parts of the country will end by August 8, 2026, when the government completes the final phase of a major electricity transmission upgrade.

Different parts of the city over the past weeks have endured repeated day-long power cuts often running from 7am in the morning through 6pm.

Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, Musenero said the outages are part of planned works to improve the reliability of electricity supply in the Kampala Metropolitan Area.

She said the government is upgrading old transmission infrastructure and integrating new substations to meet the country's growing demand for electricity.

“Today UEDC serves up to 2.7 million customers and I can tell you that we had not planned for that number. Overall, 62% of Ugandan households have access to power. Since January this year we have connected 76,000 and we have up to 500,000 customers who have applied to be connected,” Musenero said.

She noted that the rising number of electricity users had forced the government to invest in expanding the network and repairing ageing infrastructure, including substations.

“To improve the service, government decided to invest in expansion of capacity; to repair old infrastructure like substations,” she said.

Musenero acknowledged public frustration over the frequent outages, saying many Ugandans have gone without electricity for long hours in recent weeks.

The minister said the works form part of the Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project, which is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The project is now 91 per cent complete.

New substations have been built at Maya, Buloba and Mukono, while existing substations at Kawaala, Mutundwe and Bujagali have been upgraded.

The minister revealed that the final phase involves replacing old transmission lines and connecting them to the new substations. The work requires complete power shutdowns to protect workers and equipment.

“The first phase did not affect distribution because we were working on constructing new substations, but the last phase involves replacing the wires. This requires total power shutdown to ensure safety of the workers and the power infrastructure,” she said.

Musenero urged the public to remain patient, saying the inconvenience would soon end.

“This process of taking the power to the new substations is going to carry on up to the 8th of August, at which point we will say bye bye to the power outages in these areas. The electricity will be more reliable, and you will have less outages. Please bear with us.”

Once completed, the upgrades are expected to improve power reliability across Kampala and surrounding areas while reducing the frequency of outages caused by ageing infrastructure.