Ugandans woke up to a total internet blackout on Tuesday, January 13, just two days before the country heads to the polls.
The shutdown, ordered by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), has cut off access to social media, messaging apps, and personal emails across the East African nation.
VOCAL Africa, a Kenyan-based human rights organization, has condemned the move in the strongest terms possible.
The group described the directive as a "calculated assault on digital democracy" designed to hide potential electoral irregularities from the watching world.
"By blocking social media, messaging apps and personal emails, the Ugandan government is deliberately plunging the nation into a digital blackout to stifle dissent," VOCAL Africa stated in a press release on Tuesday.
The move has disrupted all forms of internet connectivity, cutting off access to mobile data, fibre-optic networks, fixed wireless services, and satellite links.
The UCC said the directive is aimed at curbing the circulation of false information and preventing the incitement of unrest during the election period.
The shutdown has drawn international scrutiny for its timing, coinciding with a tense and closely watched rematch between President Yoweri Museveni and opposition figure Bobi Wine.
Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for 40 years, won the 2021 election with 59 per cent of the vote amid similar internet disruptions.
The lead-up to Thursday's polls has been marked by unrest, with security forces attacking Bobi Wine and his supporters in December 2025 in Gulu.
Over 300 opposition activists have been apprehended since September 2025, according to United Nations reports.
The directive stated: "The suspension is effective 13th January 2026, at 1800hrs and will remain in force until a restoration notice is issued by the UCC."
VOCAL Africa has called on international bodies to hold Ugandan authorities accountable for what it terms "state-sponsored censorship."
The organization argues that shutting down the internet endangers lives by cutting off essential communication channels during a critical period.
Mobile network operators who fail to comply with the directive have been ordered to shut down their entire internet infrastructure.
