Uganda Pulls the Plug: Nationwide Internet Blackout Ordered Days Before Crucial General Election
Uganda has become the latest African country to announce a sweeping internet shutdown as the nation heads into a high-stakes General Election scheduled for Thursday, January 15. The decision, issued by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), orders a temporary suspension of public internet access across the country, raising serious concerns about digital freedoms and election transparency on the continent.
In an official directive sent to all licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), the UCC instructed providers to block access to most internet services beginning Tuesday, January 13 at 6:00pm, with no clear timeline for restoration. The shutdown covers widely used platforms such as social media, messaging applications, web browsing, video streaming, and personal email services.
The regulator explained that the move followed advice from the Inter-Agency Security Committee, framing the blackout as a preventive measure during the sensitive election period.
“This measure is necessary to mitigate the rapid spread of online misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud, and related risks, as well as preventing incitement of violence that could affect public confidence and national security during the election period,” the letter read.
The directive also includes a ban on the sale and registration of new SIM cards, alongside the suspension of outbound data roaming services to countries within the One Network Area, a regional telecom framework used in parts of Africa.
Uganda’s leading opposition figure, Bobi Wine, strongly condemned the shutdown, describing it as a deliberate attempt to restrict civic participation and silence dissent just days before voters head to the polls.
“The criminal regime has announced an internet shutdown throughout Uganda, beginning at 6:00pm today, ahead of the election on Thursday,” he said.
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While the blackout applies to the general public, the UCC outlined limited exemptions for what it described as critical national functions and essential services. These exclusions allow restricted access for network monitoring, infrastructure management, and public safety operations, though only through secured and authorized systems.
The development follows an earlier controversy involving the suspension of Starlink internet services in Uganda. Just a week earlier, Wine publicly appealed to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, claiming the shutdown had cut off an important alternative internet source ahead of the election.
“Elon Musk, here in Uganda, your Starlink has disabled citizens’ access to its internet just days to the January 15th election in which we seek to peacefully end Yoweri Museveni’s 40-year-old dictatorship,” he said.
“Please reactivate Starlink internet access in Uganda so that citizens can be able to communicate and stand a fair chance at shaping their destiny. Democracy dies in darkness,” he added.
Across Africa, election-period internet shutdowns have increasingly drawn criticism from civil society groups and digital rights advocates, who argue that such measures undermine democratic participation in an era where online platforms play a central role in political engagement, information sharing, and election monitoring.
Uganda Pulls the Plug: Nationwide Internet Blackout Ordered Days Before Crucial General Election
