The Bank of Uganda has restored Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and Automated Clearing House (ACH) services following the completion of a planned system upgrade.
The services were switched off on Thursday, 5 November 2026 at 5pm to allow the upgrade to take place, and were restored at 9am on Monday, 9 November 2026.
In a public notice issued on Monday, the central bank said the upgrade had been completed and both services were now back.
“The Bank of Uganda informs Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and Automated Clearing House (ACH) participants, Government entities, businesses and the public that the planned system upgrade has been completed and RTGS and ACH services were restored at 9 am on Monday, 9 November 2026,” the notice reads.
The Bank asked members of the public with transaction-specific enquiries to contact their respective financial institutions for assistance.
The scale of the two systems explains why the four-day shutdown mattered.
RTGS, also known as the Uganda National Interbank Settlement System (UNISS), is the backbone for high-value, time-critical payments. It settles individual transactions immediately, including interbank transfers, government securities and money market operations.
According to Bank of Uganda data cited by Daily Monitor, RTGS processed 215,831 transactions valued at Shs79.6 trillion ($18.8 billion) in May alone.
That translates to an average of about Shs3.8 trillion in daily settlements across the month’s 21 weekdays.
On an annual basis, the scale is even larger. In the 12 months to June 2026, UNISS/RTGS handled 2.4 million transactions worth Shs963.4 trillion.
ACH, on the other hand, handles bulk and routine payments in batches. These include salaries, pensions, electronic credit transfers, direct debits and cheque clearing.
Bank of Uganda data show that in August, ACH processed 1.45 million transactions worth Shs6.7 trillion. These comprised 1.37 million credit transfers, 70,402 cheques and 1,518 direct debits.
In the 12 months to June 2026, EFTs through ACH totalled 14.1 million transactions worth Shs72.8 trillion, while cheque clearing added Shs4.4 trillion.
Together, the two systems form the backbone of Uganda’s national payments infrastructure. When they are interrupted, even for a short period, payments can be delayed, businesses can struggle to meet obligations, and customers can face uncertainty over whether their money has moved.
The Bank of Uganda said the upgrade was intended to strengthen the system for the long term.
“Bank of Uganda appreciates the cooperation of all stakeholders in this upgrade that has strengthened the efficiency, reliability, and resilience of the national payments infrastructure in line with international standards,” the notice states.
For customers, the restoration means normal services should now resume. Banks are expected to process pending transactions and clear any backlog that may have built up during the period of the upgrade.