Uganda shuts down internet ahead of election

Ugandan authorities shut down internet access nationwide on Tuesday, two days ahead of elections in which President Yoweri Museveni has overseen a crackdown on the opposition as he seeks to extend his 40-year rule.

The 81-year-old leader, who once said African rulers should not overstay their time in office, is widely expected to win a seventh term on Thursday due to his total control over state and security bodies.

But he is taking no chances against a popular opponent, Bobi Wine, a 43-year-old singer-turned-politician, who has drawn large crowds to his rallies despite violent repression from the security forces.

Museveni held his final campaign rally in the capital, Kampala, on Tuesday, in a grand show most international media were blocked from covering.

Thousands walked to Kololo National Ceremonial Gardens for the rally, many telling AFP they had been bussed into the capital for the event and given free food.

Foreign journalists were repeatedly denied access to the grounds despite having accreditation from the government, and some were threatened with arrest.

“Your camera is not welcome,” an unidentified Special Forces Command (SFC) officer told the reporters.

Rights groups and international monitors say hundreds of opposition supporters have been arrested in the run-up to the election.

Another key opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, who has run four times against Museveni, was kidnapped in Kenya in 2024 and brought back to a military court in Uganda, where he is still on trial.

‘Misinformation’

The internet was shut down around 1500 GMT on Tuesday, AFP journalists confirmed.

Internet monitor NetBlocks said there was a “nation-scale disruption to internet connectivity in Uganda” in a post on X.

The Uganda Communications Commission had earlier ordered internet providers to cut access, saying it was necessary to prevent “misinformation” and “incitement to violence” and would last until further notice.

There was no official statement from the government. One official told AFP it was because no one wanted to “own” the decision.

Uganda shut down the internet during the last election in 2021 — a vote that was marred by widespread allegations of rigging and state violence.

The government repeatedly promised the internet would not be cut this time, stating in a post on X on January 5 that “claims suggesting otherwise are false, misleading, and intended to cause unnecessary fear and tension among the public”.

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Neighbouring Tanzania also shut down the internet during its election in October, which triggered massive unrest over rigging allegations. Security forces responded by killing hundreds of protesters, according to the opposition.

‘We need even more’

Despite the heavy security presence on Tuesday, thousands attended the colourful rally in Kampala featuring a life-size mascot of Museveni that waved mechanically at the cheering crowds.

Banura Oliver, 41, said she would vote for the president because of the peace he had brought to the country in the 1980s.

“Forty years doesn’t even matter, we need even more,” she told AFP, adding she was dismissive of the opposition candidate.

“If Ugandan people vote badly and vote for this young boy, we are going to suffer. He is not a good leader,” she said.

Others said they were only there for the free rice and meat and did not intend to vote for Museveni.

“You give me food for today, but what is tomorrow?” Mugaala, 23 and unemployed, who did not want to give his second name, told AFP.