Ugandan authorities have imposed a nationwide internet blackout, effective from 6.00pm local time on Tuesday, just two days before Thursday’s general election in which President Yoweri Museveni seeks to extend his four-decade rule amid allegations of repression.
The Uganda Communications Commission directed all licensed mobile network operators and internet service providers to suspend public internet access, the sale and registration of new SIM cards, and outbound data roaming to One Network Area countries. The measure blocks social media, messaging apps, web browsing, video streaming, and personal emails across cellular, fibre, satellite, and other networks, while exempting critical services such as national hospitals, core banking systems, government electoral portals, and utilities.
The directive, issued by UCC executive director Nyombi Thembo, cites recommendations from the Inter-Agency Security Committee to prevent online misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud, and incitement to violence that could undermine public confidence and national security during the polls. No timeline for restoration has been provided.
The blackout comes as Uganda, with a population of nearly 46 million, prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections on 15 January 2026. Museveni, 81, who came to power in 1986 after leading a five-year rebellion, is Africa’s third-longest-serving head of state. He has amended the constitution twice to remove age and term limits, consolidating control over institutions and leaving little chance of an upset, analysts say.
Opposition leaders, including National Unity Platform candidate Robert Kyagulanyi — better known as pop star Bobi Wine — have condemned the shutdown as a tactic to hinder voter mobilisation, independent monitoring, and result transparency, echoing the 2021 election disruptions.
### Rights concerns mount
The United Nations Human Rights Office has documented arbitrary detentions, abductions, and use of live ammunition against peaceful opposition rallies in recent months. Hundreds of opposition supporters have been detained. Authorities have also ordered rights groups, including Chapter Four Uganda and Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda, to cease operations, citing security concerns.
The government defends the measures as necessary to maintain order, rejecting opposition claims as inflammatory.
As polling stations prepare to open on Thursday, Ugandans face digital silence in a vote pitting long-entrenched power against calls for generational change.
