By Uber is leaving Uganda today, 2 September 2026, bringing its ride-hailing operations in the country to an end after a decade in Kampala.
The company announced the decision to users on Wednesday, saying it had conducted a thorough review of its business and had made the “tough decision” to wind down its operations in Uganda.
“Since we first launched in Kampala in 2016, it has been an absolute privilege to be a part of your daily life,” Uber said in a message to customers, thanking Ugandans for trusting its platform to connect them with independent transportation providers.
The company acknowledged that its departure could disrupt people’s routines and apologised for the inconvenience.
Its Help Centre will remain available until 24 September 2026 to assist users with final account queries.
Ten years of moving differently
When Uber arrived in Kampala in 2016, it introduced more than another way to find a car.
Kampala had always known taxis and boda bodas. But ride-hailing put the journey inside the phone. A passenger could request a car without standing by the roadside, see where it was coming from and have a record of the trip.
And for a city rapidly becoming more connected by smartphones and mobile money, it became part of the everyday urban experience.
That is what makes today’s departure significant.
More than an app
For the average passenger, Uber’s departure may mean downloading another app. For some Ugandans, it could mean something much more serious: finding another way to make a living.
The people behind the Uber icon were breadwinners. People piecing together livelihoods in an economy where formal employment can be difficult to find.
Uber’s model connected independent transportation providers with passengers, creating an income stream for people who could put a vehicle on the road and work according to their own schedules.
Now that stream has been switched off. Uber has said its immediate priority is supporting drivers, riders and local team members during the transition. But the company has not publicly disclosed how many Ugandan drivers or employees are directly affected.
What happens to the person whose car payments depended partly on those trips? What happens to the household whose groceries, school fees or rent were tied to income earned behind the wheel?
Some drivers are likely to move to competing platforms. Others may work across several apps, return to conventional taxi operations or find another source of income. But changing platforms is not always as simple as downloading another application.
Drivers still have to contend with fuel, vehicle maintenance, commissions, competition and the basic question of whether there are enough passengers to make the work worthwhile.
