Kampala East faces water supply interruption after power surge
In a statement released on Monday, April 13, 2026, NWSC said, “The Management of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC)- Kampala Water regrets to inform its valued customers that the current water supply interruption affecting the Kampala East water supply is due to a power outage affecting water production at Katosi water works.”
NWSC indicated that a team from the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) is on the ground working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
KAMPALA - National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has announced a water supply interruption affecting the Kampala East water supply zone due to a power outage that disrupted production at Katosi.
In a statement released on Monday, April 13, 2026, NWSC said, “The Management of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC)- Kampala Water regrets to inform its valued customers that the current water supply interruption affecting the Kampala East water supply is due to a power outage affecting water production at Katosi water works.”
NWSC indicated that a team from the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) is on the ground working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Areas set to be affected include Katosi, Kisoga, Mukono, Seeta, Mbalala, Namugongo, Namanve, Sonde, parts of Kireka, Kamuli, Kyaliwajala, Bulindo, Nsasa, Mulawa, Nabusugwe, Kitukutwe, Mbalala, Naalya, Ntinda, Kisaasi, Najeera, Luteete, Gayaza, parts of Kamwokya, parts of Kireka, Mbuya, Mutungo, Kitintale, Matugga, and surrounding areas.
“Customers are therefore advised to use the available water sparingly during this downtime. All inconveniences are highly regretted,” NWSC said.
On Sunday, the country experienced a total national blackout, and it is not yet clear whether this was the cause of the power surge at Katosi.
UETCL explains blackout
The Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) said the Sunday, April 12, 2026, outage was caused by a technical fault on the transmission network at Lugogo Substation, which triggered automatic protection systems to safeguard the grid.
Muhammad Lubogo, the manager of public and corporate communications at UETCL, explained that any system disturbances can lead to a trip on the transmission network and subsequently affect the stability of the national grid.
UETCL is the national system operator responsible for coordinating the real-time operation of the electricity grid and ensuring balance between power generation and demand. It serves as the critical link between electricity generators and distribution companies.
“A disturbance or fault at any point in the power system, generation, transmission, or distribution, can destabilise the grid and, in severe cases, lead to a widespread or national blackout. For example, if a major generation source, such as Isimba Hydropower Plant, were to suddenly go offline, it would create an immediate imbalance between supply and demand. This imbalance results in a drop in system frequency, which can trigger automatic protection mechanisms and lead to a grid-wide outage,” Lubogo added.
UETCL, in a statement released on Sunday morning, confirmed the country had suffered a national power outage at 8:53 am, adding that technical teams had commenced efforts to restore the national grid and were investigating the cause of the incident.
The utility apologised for the inconvenience and appreciated public patience during restoration.
Sunday's incident was not the first time the country has experienced power blackouts, with the last major nationwide incident occurring on August 13, 2020.
Eskom Uganda Limited, which was then operating the Nalubaale power station, said that the blackout was caused by a bucket carrier that made contact with a live conductor during routine maintenance.
The April 14, 2020, blackout was blamed on floating islands that reportedly blocked turbines.