The government of Uganda has ordered mobile networks and internet service providers to suspend public access, block new SIM card registrations, and halt roaming calls two days before the country’s general election.
In a directive dated Jan. 13, the Uganda Communications Commission said the restrictions would take effect at 6 p.m. local time Tuesday and remain in place until further notice. The blackout covers social media, web browsing, video streaming, messaging apps, and other online services. Mobile data roaming is also affected.
Officials said the move was intended to curb misinformation and safeguard security during the vote.
“The suspension applies to mobile broadband, fiber optic, leased lines, fixed wireless access, microwave radio links, and satellite internet services,” Nyombi Thembo, the commission’s executive director, wrote in the letter.
Essential services including hospitals, banks, government payment platforms, and election systems will continue to operate through dedicated IP ranges, VPNs, or private circuits.
The order underscores a growing trend across Africa, where governments have increasingly restricted internet access during elections. In Uganda, the practice is not new: in 2021, authorities shut down the internet for more than 100 hours, a disruption that watchdog group NetBlocks estimated cost the economy about $9 million.
President Yoweri Museveni, 81, who has ruled since 1986, is seeking re-election against seven challengers, among them pop star-turned-politician Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine.
Uganda’s move echoes similar restrictions in Tanzania, where authorities last year blocked access to the internet, social media, and messaging apps during the general election, cutting millions off from banking and mobile payment networks.
