Two days before Ugandans went to the polls on January 15, 2026, the country slipped into digital darkness once again.
At 6 p.m. on January 13, the Uganda Communications Commission ordered mobile network operators and internet service providers to suspend public internet access nationwide. The justification was familiar: preventing misinformation, electoral fraud, and incitement to violence.
The consequences, however, were far more profound – and deeply troubling. This was not a targeted intervention. Social media platforms vanished. Messaging apps, email services, web browsing, and video streaming were cut off.
SIM card sales were halted. Cross-border data roaming was disabled. Only a narrow band of “essential services” remained online. Independent network monitors quickly confirmed a sharp drop in internet traffic, signalling a deliberate, nationwide shutdown.
For many Ugandans, the move felt less like crisis management and more like ritual. Similar shutdowns accompanied the 2016 and 2021 elections, including a five- day blackout in 2021 that ushered in a Facebook ban still in force today.
Each time, the stated aim was security. Each time, the result was diminished transparency and eroded trust. Elections depend on visibility. In the final days before voting, the internet is how journalists report, observers coordinate, candidates reach voters, and citizens share real- time information about delays or irregularities.
Cutting that access creates an information vacuum, one that often fuels rumours and fear rather than suppressing them. Ironically, shutdowns meant to curb misinformation can end up amplifying it.
The economic cost is just as stark. Uganda’s economy is now deeply digital. Mobile money, ride-hailing, online trade, and freelance work depend on stable connectivity. Previous shutdowns cost billions of shillings, hitting small businesses and informal workers hardest. Repeating the practice sends a chilling signal to investors and entrepreneurs alike.
Most damaging of all is the long-term effect on public faith. Repeated blackouts suggest a state that does not trust its own electoral process to withstand scrutiny. Democracies are not strengthened by silence. They are strengthened by openness. When the internet goes dark, democracy does not pause—it dims.
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