The Uganda Communications Commission ordered mobile service providers to shut down public internet connections, saying the move was intended to curb “misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks”.
The shutdown comes amid an intensified security crackdown on the opposition. In the run-up to the election, security forces have detained hundreds of opposition supporters and repeatedly fired live ammunition and tear gas at campaign events linked to Museveni’s main challenger, musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine.
Museveni, who is 81 years old, has amended the constitution twice to remove presidential age and term limits. Political analysts say his long-standing control over state institutions has significantly reduced the likelihood of an electoral upset in the East African country of about 46 million people.
Joel Ssenyonyi, Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Uganda and Spokesperson of the National Unity Platform, criticised the internet blackout, describing it as a deliberate attempt to suppress transparency and accountability.
He said cutting internet access in 2025 amounted to pushing the country “back to the Stone Age”, arguing that the justification of preventing incitement was merely a pretext.
“The internet is used to share information. They do not want images and evidence of security forces beating people circulating,” Ssenyonyi said. “They want darkness, because democracy does not survive in the dark.”
Ssenyonyi said journalists and opposition supporters had been repeatedly assaulted, arrested or detained during the campaign period, often simply for documenting events. He added that many opposition supporters had been injured, hospitalised or jailed, with some remaining in detention years after their arrests without trial.
According to Ssenyonyi, the shutdown has affected the entire country, including government ministries and departments, but authorities were willing to accept the disruption as “collateral damage” to maintain control.
“It has severely affected communication and information-sharing at a critical time,” he said, noting that social media had previously been used to expose alleged electoral misconduct and abuses by security forces.
On the credibility of the upcoming vote, Ssenyonyi warned that elections should be judged as a process, not a single event on polling day.
“When campaigns are violently disrupted, opposition rallies blocked, supporters arrested, and now the country is plunged into darkness, it is very difficult to speak of a free and fair election,” he said.
–ChannelAfrica–
