Uganda is going dark today from 6:00 PM local time. The Uganda Communications Commission ordered all internet service providers and mobile networks to shut down public internet access just two days before presidential elections scheduled for January 15.
The official reason given is preventing misinformation and violence during the election period.
This isn’t Uganda’s first rodeo. The country implemented similar blackouts during the 2016 and 2021 elections. The upcoming suspension targets social media, messaging apps, email, web browsing, and video streaming.
Mobile VPN services are also being specifically disabled to prevent people from routing around the restrictions.
Uganda has also stopped selling new SIM cards and blocked outbound data roaming to neighboring countries in the “One Network Area.” That’s a particularly clever move, as it prevents people from driving to the border, getting a signal from a tower in Kenya or Tanzania, and posting anyway.
Though ordinary citizens will lose access, an extensive list of systems will stay online. Hospitals, banks, ATMs, tax payment systems, and government administrative platforms will all be kept running. The electoral commission’s voter verification and results tabulation systems will also remain connected, naturally.
Power grids, water systems, air traffic control, and railway signals will continue to operate normally. Network operations centers and cybersecurity monitoring tools will also remain active. Even SIM swap systems will keep working under the current regulations.
The directive specifies these exemptions must use whitelisted IP addresses, private VPNs, or dedicated circuits accessible only to authorized personnel.
Any operator that does not follow the shutdown order must turn off its entire internet network. If they fail to comply, they could face heavy fines and even lose their license.
Operators are also required to run 24/7 incident response teams, keep detailed logs of traffic on exempted systems, and report any technical problems within 30 minutes.
That 30-minute deadline exists so the government can quickly detect if someone tries to bypass the system.
READ: Uganda Blocks Starlink Imports Ahead of January Elections
For the estimated 21.6 million registered voters choosing between incumbent President Yoweri Museveni and challenger Bobi Wine, the blackout creates an information vacuum during the most critical phase of the democratic process.
That means no live election updates, no ability to report voting irregularities to a wide audience, no coordination for election monitors, and no fact-checking of claims made by candidates or officials.
Businesses that depend on the internet will be affected right away. Online stores, digital media companies, fintech services outside traditional banks, and remote workers will all lose access.
READ: Internet Blackout Costs Tanzania Over $238 Million in Economic Losses
The UCC has not given a clear timeline for when services will return. They only said it will happen once the election period has “stabilized,” which is a conveniently vague timeline that could mean anything.
Anyone who’s not been living under a rock knows this fits a pattern seen across several African nations during contentious elections. Cut communications, control the narrative, and limit the ability of opposition movements to organize or document irregularities.
Shutting down the internet won’t stop misinformation but rather ensure that whatever information does circulate can’t be easily verified or challenged. It’s a one-way flow of information through state-controlled channels.
