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<\/a><\/p>\nPublished On 14 Jan 202614 Jan 2026<\/p>\n
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Uganda is facing mounting calls to lift a nationwide internet blackout<\/a> before a contentious election, with the United Nations saying the government-imposed restrictions are \u201cdeeply worrying\u201d.<\/p>\n In a social media post on Wednesday, the UN Human Rights Office stressed that \u201copen access to communication & information is key to free & genuine elections\u201d.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n \u201cAll Ugandans must be able to take part in shaping their future & the future of their country,\u201d it said<\/a>.<\/p>\n The call comes a day after a Ugandan government regulatory body instructed mobile network operators to block public internet access, starting on Tuesday evening, as the East African country readied for a January 15 general election.<\/p>\n Internet monitor NetBlocks said<\/a> in its latest update on Wednesday that Uganda was \u201cin the midst of a widespread internet shutdown\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cFar from halting misinformation, the measure is likely to limit transparency and increase the risk of vote fraud,\u201d the group warned.<\/p>\n The government of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, 81, has been accused of overseeing a years-long crackdown on its critics<\/a>, arresting political opposition leaders and their supporters.<\/p>\n Museveni is being challenged in Thursday\u2019s vote by pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine<\/a>, whose campaign rallies have been routinely disrupted by the Ugandan authorities.<\/p>\n The UN Human Rights Office<\/a> last week warned that Ugandans would be heading to the polls amid \u201cwidespread repression and intimidation against the political opposition, human rights defenders, journalists and those with dissenting views\u201d.<\/p>\n The Uganda Communications Commission defended the internet shutdown as necessary to curb \u201cmisinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks\u201d.<\/p>\n But Tigere Chagutah, the East and Southern Africa regional director at Amnesty International, condemned the restrictions as \u201ca brazen attack on the right to freedom of expression\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is especially alarming coming as it does just before a crucial election already marred by massive repression and an unprecedented crackdown on opposition parties and dissenting voices,\u201d Chagutah said in a statement<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cBlanket shutdowns disrupt people\u2019s mobility, livelihoods and their ability to access vital information. They are inherently disproportionate under international human rights law and must never be imposed.\u201d<\/p>\n