Uganda restores partial internet access days after election blackout
By Aloys Michael, January 18, 2026Uganda’s internet is back online, at least partially, giving citizens a bite of freedom after days of digital darkness.
The shutdown came before elections, with Ugandan authorities citing the need to curb poll misinformation, even as rights groups protested against the move.
In a statement on Sunday, January 18, 2026, the Global Internet Observatory NetBlocks confirmed that connectivity was slowly returning, though many users remain offline.
“Network data show a partial restoration of internet connectivity in Uganda, though many users remain offline. Service was cut on the 13th and elections were held with the opposition detained, some voting machines disconnected and ballots stuffed per reports,” the X post read.
Uganda has been without public internet since the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) ordered mobile operators and internet providers to suspend services two days before the January 15 elections.
In a letter, the UCC also cited the need to curb electoral fraud and related risks and acknowledged operational challenges imposed by the directive.
However, speaking on Saturday, January 17, 2026, Uganda Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Balaam Barugahara, offered a different account of the blackout.
The commission had initially said that the internet was switched off for security reasons.
“The latest I’m getting from my friends in Mombasa is that a ship was passing by, it hit an internet cable in two, so they are trying to locate the other piece to connect it,” he said.
“That is information we cannot justify right now, but because the UCC did release a letter that all Ugandans are actually following right now.”
Barugahara assured viewers that service would soon be restored, linking the restoration to President Museveni’s leadership.
“That is okay, the internet will be reinstated. The person who brought internet is the person you have voted. Did you have internet in 1986? Did your mother tell you that they had internet? But it was a country not running. Let us trust in the president. The one who brought it will restore it. He’s working around the clock, our technicians are working closely,” he said.
He added that technicians were focusing on repairing the reported cable damage.
“Our people who work in that telecom sector, we know that the cable was affected, and they are restoring it, they are fixing it. You know, the problem with you young people, you’re wasting a lot of time on TikTok, instead of listening to the message of the president,” he said.
However, no official confirmation has come from the UCC or Kenyan authorities regarding the claimed ship incident.
While submarine cable faults have affected East African internet in the past, the current blackout followed the UCC directive issued ahead of the election.