Ugandan official blames internet outage on Mombasa cable cut
By Kenneth Mwenda, January 17, 2026Uganda has remained without public internet access since January 13, 2026, when the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) ordered mobile operators and internet providers to suspend services.
The blackout began two days before the country’s general election on January 15, 2026. Authorities said the measure was necessary to protect national security, prevent misinformation, and maintain public order during the vote.
On January 17, 2026, Balaam Barugahara, the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, addressed the situation in an interview aired on TV. He first referred to the original explanation given by the UCC.
“Internet, initially, UCC said they had switched off, probably for security reasons,” he said.
Barugahara then cited a different account from sources in Mombasa.
“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.
During the interview, the journalist asked for confirmation but noted that the government could not fully verify the claim.
“That is information we cannot justify right now, but because the UCC did release a letter that all Ugandans are actually following right now,” the journalist said.
He assured viewers that service would be restored soon.
“That is okay, the internet will be reinstated,” he said, linking the issue to President Yoweri Museveni.
“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,” Barugahara said.
He added:
“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.”
Technicians work on restoration
The minister explained that technicians were focusing on repairing the supposed 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,” he said.
“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.”
Barugahara also praised the president’s support in the election. “And those ones who have listened to the message of the president have voted him overwhelmingly,” he said, highlighting that Museveni won in Arua Central, a region he had never won in previous elections.
No official statement from the UCC or Kenyan authorities has confirmed that a ship cut an undersea cable near Mombasa during this period. While submarine cable faults have affected East African internet in the past, the current blackout follows a UCC directive issued before the election.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have criticised the shutdown as a violation of rights that undermines transparency during voting.