With just days to Uganda’s general elections, the government has ordered a sweeping suspension of public internet access and selected mobile services,
With just days to Uganda’s general elections, the government has ordered a sweeping suspension of public internet access and selected mobile services, a move that has reignited debate about digital freedoms, electoral transparency, and the state’s long-standing use of security measures during election periods.
The directive, issued through the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), takes effect on the evening of January 13, 2026—barely 48 hours before voters head to the polls—marking yet another chapter in Uganda’s history of election-time internet restrictions under President Yoweri Museveni’s adadministration.
In a formal notice dated January 13, 2026, and referenced ECO/436, the UCC directed all licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to temporarily suspend public internet access nationwide.
The order also halts the sale and registration of new SIM cards and blocks outbound data roaming services to One Network Area countries.
According to the regulator, the decision follows what it described as a “strong recommendation” from the Inter-Agency Security Committee, a body that brings together state security institutions during sensitive national events.
The UCC justified the shutdown as a preventive security measure aimed at curbing the spread of online misinformation, disinformation, and alleged electoral fraud, as well as preventing incitement to violence that could undermine public confidence and national security.
Under the directive, all non-essential public internet traffic is to be blocked, including access to social media platforms, web browsing, video streaming services, personal email, and messaging applications.
The suspension cuts across all major forms of connectivity, including mobile broadband, fibre optic services, leased lines, fixed wireless access, microwave radio links, and satellite internet services.
The shutdown is open-ended, with the UCC stating that services will only be restored after a formal notice is issued. However, the commission outlined a narrowly defined exclusion list allowing limited access to essential systems required for critical national functions and the operational integrity of communications infrastructure.
These exclusions apply strictly to non-mobile internet services and are reserved for authorized personnel using secure, whitelisted mechanisms such as dedicated IP ranges, virtual private networks, or private circuits.
The UCC warned that any detected abuse of these excluded systems would result in immediate suspension.
This latest directive is not without precedent.
Uganda has repeatedly shut down or restricted internet and social media access during elections and periods of political unrest, notably during the 2016 and 2021 general elections.
Those earlier shutdowns drew sharp criticism from civil society groups, opposition parties, and international human rights organizations, which argued that such measures suppress free expression, restrict access to information, and tilt the political playing field in favor of the incumbent government.
The timing of the 2026 shutdown has once again raised political eyebrows. Opposition figures and analysts argue that the decision comes at a moment when opposition parties appear to be gaining momentum on the ground, despite what they describe as sustained intimidation, arrests, and restrictions on campaigning by the ruling authorities.
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