Government orders internet shut down starting Tuesday evening

The government of Uganda has ordered a nationwide shutdown of public internet access and selected mobile services starting Tuesday evening. The move, officials say, is aimed at safeguarding national security during the election period.

The directive was issued by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to all licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) following recommendations from the Inter-Agency Security Committee.

According to the directive, the suspension will take effect on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, at 6:00pm and will remain in force until the UCC issues a formal restoration notice.

The directive comes just days after the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance reassured the public that there would be no internet disconnection during the election period

During this period, operators are required to block all non-essential public internet traffic, including access to social media platforms, messaging applications, video streaming services, web browsing and personal email services.

The shutdown applies across all major internet delivery platforms, including mobile broadband, fibre optic connections, leased lines, fixed wireless access, microwave radio links and satellite internet services. In addition, the sale and registration of new SIM cards, as well as outbound data roaming services to One Network Area countries, have been suspended.

The UCC said the measure is intended to curb the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation, prevent electoral fraud and reduce the risk of incitement to violence that could undermine public confidence and national security during the elections.

Operators have also been instructed to disable mobile VPN services and prevent any form of public bypass. Any service provider unable to fully implement the directive has been ordered to shut down its entire internet infrastructure for the duration of the suspension, with non-compliance attracting severe penalties, including fines and possible licence suspension.

Despite the broad suspension, the UCC has outlined a strict exclusion list allowing continued access to critical national services through non-mobile internet connections only. These include healthcare systems at national referral hospitals, core banking and interbank payment systems, tax payment platforms, immigration and electoral commission secure systems, utilities management, and transport and aviation control systems.

Network monitoring, cybersecurity systems and regulatory reporting platforms are also exempted, but access is limited strictly to authorised personnel through secure, whitelisted mechanisms such as dedicated IP addresses and VPNs.

Operators have been ordered to establish 24-hour incident response teams, maintain detailed traffic logs for exempted systems and report any breaches to the UCC within 30 minutes. Internet services will only be restored following explicit written authorisation from the commission.

The UCC acknowledged the operational challenges posed by the shutdown, but said the directive is necessary to maintain stability during what it described as a sensitive national period.