Uganda internet shutdown has been implemented ahead of Thursday’s elections, raising concerns as President Yoweri Museveni moves to prolong his four-decade grip on power. The 80-year-old leader, who has dominated East African politics since taking power in 1986, is contesting for a seventh term. The vote is a repeat of the 2021 election, in which Museveni faced strong opposition from former pop musician Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine.
According to the UN human rights office, the Uganda internet shutdown follows an extended campaign against opposition voices, marked by the arrest of activists and increasing restrictions on journalists and human rights organisations.
In a notice addressed to mobile network operators and internet service providers, the Uganda Communications Commission stated that the blackout was implemented following firm advice from security agencies, citing the need to curb misinformation and inflammatory content. The commission described the move as a short-term preventive measure aimed at maintaining public order, safeguarding national security, and preventing the abuse of communication channels during a critical national process.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) condemned the action as an act of “cowardice,” arguing that the shutdown was designed to enable electoral manipulation.
Last week, the government had dismissed reports that it intended to cut internet access, insisting that such claims were “false, misleading, and designed to stir unwarranted fear and anxiety among the public.”
However, as the Uganda Internet shutdown loomed, opposition leader Bobi Wine urged his supporters to install a Bluetooth-enabled application to stay connected during the outage. The Uganda Communications Commission did not provide a timeline for when internet services would be fully restored.
2021 Uganda Internet Shutdown Strategy
In 2021, Uganda enacted a similar strategy that led to deadly unrest over 100 casualties during election protest and opposition figure Bobi Wine was later placed under house arrest. This time, human rights advocates have drawn comparisons between Uganda’s move to limit online access and the week-long internet blackout imposed in neighbouring Tanzania during the just concluded election. That restriction was followed by a severe security crackdown in which opposition groups and human rights organisations claim that hundreds, and possibly thousands, were killed by security forces—an episode activists have labelled Tanzania’s “Tiananmen Square moment.”
A United Nations human rights assessment published ahead of Thursday’s elections warned that the Uganda Internet shutdown reflects a broader decline in freedom of expression and civil liberties across the region. The report noted that Ugandan security agencies, such as the police and military, have illegally used live ammunition and firearms to break up peaceful gatherings while also engaging in arbitrary arrests and lengthy pre-trial detentions, with opposition supporters disproportionately affected.
At the same time, Museveni has overseen decades of steady economic growth since assuming power after a five-year insurgency and continues to command significant support in parts of the country. His re-election campaign has been framed around the promise of “protecting the gains”.
With the incarceration of Besigye, Wine, who is seen as the most formidable of the six contenders, has advocated for generational change. Relying on the fact that over 75% of Uganda’s population is under 25 and it has one of the youngest populations in the world, in cities, Wine’s message is particularly compelling.
