KAMPALA, Uganda — Uber has ended its ride-hailing operations in Uganda after a decade in the country, bringing to a close a service that helped transform how many Kampala residents accessed taxis and independent drivers.
The US-based technology company discontinued its Ugandan operations on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, alongside its withdrawal from Nigeria as it reshapes its investment priorities across Africa.
Uber had informed customers that it would wind down the Ugandan service following a review of its business and investment priorities across the continent.
“After a thorough review, we have taken the difficult decision to wind down operations in Nigeria and Uganda, effective September 2, 2026,” the company said.
Uber said the decision was limited to the two markets and did not affect its operations elsewhere in Africa. The company said it remained committed to sub-Saharan Africa, where it continues to see long-term growth opportunities.
The company has not disclosed the financial performance of its Ugandan operations or identified specific market conditions that prompted the withdrawal.
Uber launched in Kampala on June 2, 2016, making Uganda the company’s 462nd city globally and its 10th African market at the time.
The arrival introduced a new model of urban transport to Kampala, allowing passengers to request rides through a smartphone application while connecting them with independent drivers.
The platform offered features including GPS-based trip tracking, driver information, digital booking and upfront fare estimates, adding a technology-driven alternative to conventional taxi services.
At launch, Uber described Kampala as a rapidly developing city with growing demand for reliable and flexible transport options.
Ten years later, the company has left a market that has become considerably more competitive.
Uber’s departure is expected to affect drivers who relied on the platform for passenger requests, although many ride-hailing drivers in Kampala work across several applications.
Passengers will continue to have access to competing services, including Bolt, SafeBoda, Faras and other operators.
SafeBoda says it has completed more than 50 million rides and accounts for more than a third of Uganda’s ride-hailing market, underlining the scale of competition that Uber faced in the country.
The competition has increasingly centred on fares, driver commissions, incentives and the ability of platforms to maintain affordable prices for passengers while ensuring drivers can earn sustainable incomes.
Uber’s decision therefore marks not simply the closure of one ride-hailing application, but another shift in Uganda’s increasingly competitive digital transport industry.
Uber has attributed its withdrawal to changing business priorities and its investment focus across Africa rather than providing a market-specific explanation for Uganda.
The company said it was concentrating investment on markets where it could create the greatest value for drivers by providing earning opportunities at scale and enabling passengers to move around cities seamlessly.
The Ugandan exit also comes as Uber undertakes a broader restructuring of its global business.
The company announced plans to eliminate about 3,300 jobs, representing roughly 10 per cent of its workforce, as it seeks to simplify its corporate structure and redirect resources towards priority areas, including autonomous-vehicle technology.
Uber has not said that the Ugandan shutdown was directly caused by the global job cuts.
Uganda is not the first African market from which Uber has withdrawn.
The company has now exited Uganda and Nigeria, following earlier withdrawals from other African markets, reflecting a broader effort to concentrate investment on markets it considers to offer stronger long-term opportunities.
The company, however, has stressed that the withdrawals do not represent an abandonment of Africa.
Uber continues to describe sub-Saharan Africa as a region with significant growth potential, but its latest decisions suggest that it is becoming more selective about where it commits capital and operational resources.
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For Kampala, Uber’s departure closes a significant chapter in the city’s adoption of app-based transport.
When the service arrived in 2016, it was part of a new wave of digital platforms changing how urban residents booked transport, paid for journeys and interacted with drivers.
Its exit comes at a time when Uganda’s ride-hailing market has matured, with local and regional competitors offering alternatives to passengers and providing drivers with multiple platforms through which to find customers.
Uber thanked Ugandan customers and drivers for using its service over the past decade and apologised for the disruption caused by the shutdown.
“Since we first launched in Kampala in 2016, it has been an absolute privilege to be a part of your daily life, connecting you with independent transportation providers,” the company said.
The final departure leaves Kampala’s ride-hailing market in the hands of its remaining operators, while thousands of drivers and passengers adjust to a transport landscape without one of the world’s best-known ride-hailing brands.
