Uganda shuts down internet ahead of election
Ugandan authorities shut down internet access nationwide on Tuesday, two days ahead of elections in which President Yoweri Museveni has overseen a crackdown on the opposition as he seeks to extend his 40-year rule. The 81-year-old leader, who once said African rulers should not overstay their time in office, is widely expected to win a […]
Supporters of Uganda’s incumbent president and National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni gather around the rally grounds of the party’s closing campaign rally ahead of the 2026 Ugandan general elections, in Kampala on January 13, 2026.
Ugandan authorities shut down internet access nationwide on Tuesday, two days ahead of elections in which President Yoweri Museveni has overseen a crackdown on the opposition as he seeks to extend his 40-year rule.
The 81-year-old leader, who once said African rulers should not overstay their time in office, is widely expected to win a seventh term on Thursday due to his total control over state and security bodies.
But he is taking no chances against a popular opponent, Bobi Wine, a 43-year-old singer-turned-politician, who has drawn large crowds to his rallies despite violent repression from the security forces.
Museveni held his final campaign rally in the capital Kampala on Tuesday, in a grand show most international media were blocked from covering.
The internet was shut down around 1500 GMT on Tuesday, AFP journalists confirmed.
Internet monitor NetBlocks said there was a “nation-scale disruption to internet connectivity in Uganda” in a post on X.
The Uganda Communications Commission had earlier ordered internet providers to cut access, saying it was necessary to prevent “misinformation” and “incitement to violence”, and would last until further notice.
There was no official statement from the government. One official told AFP it was because no one wanted to “own” the decision.
Uganda shut down the internet during the last election in 2021 – a vote that was marred by widespread allegations of rigging and state violence.
The government repeatedly promised the internet would not be cut this time, stating in a post on X on January 5 that “claims suggesting otherwise are false, misleading, and intended to cause unnecessary fear and tension among the public”.
Neighbouring Tanzania also shut down the internet during its election in October, which triggered massive unrest over rigging allegations. Security forces responded by killing