By Staff Reporter
Uganda has ordered a nationwide internet shutdown ahead of its general election on Thursday. The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) instructed all service providers to suspend data access starting Tuesday evening, justifying the move as necessary for public safety to prevent “online misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud, and incitement of violence.”
The directive marks a reversal from earlier this month when the UCC dismissed rumors of a blackout as “mere.” The suspension, enacted on “a strong recommendation” from security agencies, is described as a “precautionary intervention to ensure peace and protect national stability.” While basic voice calls and SMS will remain operational, regular mobile data users have already reported outages, though some business facilities retain limited connectivity.
This action echoes the 2021 election, when a week-long internet blackout coincided with widespread protests and dozens of fatalities. Thursday’s presidential vote is a high-stakes rematch between 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni, seeking a seventh term after four decades in power, and his main challenger, 43-year-old former pop star and opposition leader Bobi Wine (Robert Kyagulanyi). Museveni campaigns on a platform of continuity (“Protecting the Gains”), while Bobi Wine mobilizes young supporters with a call for a “Protest Vote” and generational change.
Responding to the shutdown, Bobi Wine posted the UCC’s order on social media platform X and urged supporters to use a Bluetooth-based messaging app to communicate. The UCC has since warned it can restrict such apps. The opposition leader condemned the internet suspension, calling those behind it “cowards.”
The blackout raises critical questions as Uganda, one of the world’s youngest nations by population, prepares to decide whether to grant another term to its 81-year-old leader.
