The Uganda Communication Commission has ordered a ' temporary' shutdown of internet effective today, January 13, 2026, until further notice.
The shutdown orders come in exactly a day before the Uganda General Elections set for Thursday, January 15, 2026.
The news development comes days after Uganda's authorities denied reports that they are planning to cut access to the internet during next week's election.
According to the UCC, the directive follows a recommendation from the Inter-Agency Security Committee, which cited the need to mitigate the rapid spread of online misinformation, disinformation, and other election-related risks.
The regulator said the measure is also intended to prevent content that could incite violence or affect public confidence during the elections.
“The suspension is effective 13th January 2026, at 1800hrs and will remain in force until a restoration notice is issued by UCC. During this period, all non-essential public internet traffic must be blocked,” stated UCC Executive Director Thembo Nyombi.
The notice defined public internet traffic to include social media platforms, personal email services, web browsing, video streaming, and messaging applications.
The suspension will cover Mobile Broadband (Cellular), Fibre Optic, Leased Lines, Fixed Wireless Access, Microwave Radio Links, and Satellite Internet Services.
To ensure continuity of critical functions, UCC said a list of exclusions has been established.
These will allow limited access to essential services, such as healthcare systems at national referral hospitals, financial services, and key government administrative services, including immigration, the electoral commission, voter verification, and vote tabulation networks.
Access to these systems is restricted to authorised personnel and must be implemented through secure mechanisms such as dedicated IP ranges, VPNs, or private circuits.
UCC warned that any abuse of the exclusion list could result in immediate blocking of access.
The UCC’s directive comes after statements from Bobi Wine in which he warned of potential protests if the elections were perceived to be unfair.
“If General Museveni rigs the election, we shall call for protests,” he told AFP from his home in Kampala, adding, “We've told the people not to wait for our instruction.”
