The Uganda government shut down internet access nationwide ahead of the presidential election. The government says the measure is to curb the spread of disinformation, but critics say it is in fact a preliminary move to secure a seventh-term victory for the incumbent president who has held power for decades.
On the 13th (local time), the Uganda Communications Commission said it would temporarily suspend internet service nationwide. Chairperson Nyombi Tembo said in an interview that it was "based on a decision by the National Security Council" and described it as "a preventive measure to curb the weaponization of the internet and the spread of disinformation and hate speech." The timing for service restoration has not yet been set.
The measure was abruptly implemented ahead of the election on the 15th. The race includes President Yoweri Museveni (81), who has ruled for about 40 years and is running for a seventh term, and Museveni is said to be well ahead of his rival Bobi Wine (43, real name Robert Kyagulanyi). The opposition and civic groups are protesting that the government's move to shut down internet service is intended to preemptively block organized dissent in anticipation of defeat or controversy.
In fact, many African countries continue to control public opinion by cutting off the internet before and after elections. For example, in Oct., when allegations of election fraud arose immediately after the vote, the Tanzania government carried out a violent crackdown under an internet blackout and later imposed a blanket ban on sharing protest videos. President Museveni also cut off all internet access, following Facebook, during the previous 2021 election.
Bobi Wine says the Uganda Electoral Commission has already begun preparations for election rigging. Wine said, "I am entering this election as a kind of protest vote," adding, "You may see me beaten, crying, and broken, but you will never see me give up." A famous Ugandan singer and actor, he ran in the 2021 presidential election but was detained and tortured by police under Museveni's repression.
The power imbalance between the two candidates was evident at the final campaign rallies. In Kampala, where Museveni held his last rally that day, tens of thousands of people converged by bus and minivan, and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) boosted turnout by handing out yellow T-shirts, hats, and flags, its signature color, for free. By contrast, at Bobi Wine's rally the previous day, heavily armed security forces were deployed throughout the venue, and supporters were effectively blocked from approaching.
Seen as likely to win this election, Museveni seized power in a coup in Jan. 1986 and, after being elected the first directly elected president in 1996, has won five subsequent elections, remaining in office for 40 years. He abolished the three-term limit and the presidential age limit to extend his rule. His son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the commander of the Uganda People's Defense Forces, is expected to inherit power from his father.
However, as public discontent with the authoritarian government has accumulated, questions are being raised about the sustainability of the regime. With a population of about 50 million, Uganda is one of the world's youngest countries, with more than a quarter of its people aged 18 to 30.