This is not about “security.” This is about criminality and “control”.
Dictator Yoweri Museveni has once again activated a familiar playbook to rig elections by switching off accountability. The Uganda Communications Commission’s directive ordering a shutdown of public internet access and selected mobile services from 6:00pm on January 13, 2026, during the election period, is not an isolated administrative decision, it is a deliberate political weapon.
Let’s break it down:
By cutting:
• Public internet access
• SIM card sales and registration
• Outbound data roaming
The regime is effectively blinding citizens, the media, observers, and opposition actors at the most critical moment of a democratic process.
Meanwhile, the same directive carefully exempts government systems, banking infrastructure, and state-approved institutions. This creates a two-tier system:
👉 The state stays connected, yet
👉 The people are silenced
That imbalance tells you everything.
This is how election rigging evolves in the digital age
Rigging today is no longer just ballot stuffing and military intimidation, it’s about:
• Blocking real-time reporting of abuses
• Preventing citizens from sharing evidence
• Disrupting opposition coordination
• Isolating communities from independent media
• Controlling narratives while votes are counted in the dark
When internet access disappears, transparency disappears with it.
And no — this is not the first time
Ugandans have seen this movie before.
• In 2016, social media platforms were blocked during elections.
• In 2021, the regime imposed one of Africa’s longest internet shutdowns as protests grew and results were contested.
• Each time, the justification was “security.”
• Each time, the outcome was the same: reduced scrutiny, increased repression, and disputed legitimacy.
This 2026 shutdown is not an accident or a coincidence. It is a preemptive strike against dissent, rolled out before ballots are fully cast and before results can be challenged in the court of public opinion.
If the election were free, the internet would not be feared
A government confident in its mandate does not need digital blackouts. A government confident in the will of the people does not silence them.
Internet shutdowns are the hallmark of insecure, aging regimes clinging to power — not democracies.
Ugandans deserve peaceful transition of power through:
• Open communication
• Free expression
• Transparent elections
• Accountability in real time
What is unfolding is not election management but manipulation by design.
History will record this moment.
So will the people — even if the regime tries to switch them off.