Ugandan election: Authorities deny internet block plans

Ugandan authorities have denied claims that they are planning an internet blackout ahead of the January 15th election, according to a report by BBC News and agencies on January 5th.

These concerns have been fuelled by satellite internet provider Starlink, which has restricted its services in Uganda following the communications regulator’s order on January 2nd.

Opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, told supporters in his New Year’s address, “As we all know, the regime is plotting an internet shutdown, as they have done in past elections, to block communication and prevent citizens from organising, verifying results, and demanding accountability.”

Since 1986, Uganda has been governed by President Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), who was not officially elected until 1996.

The now 81-year-old is running for re-election, and can do so as many times as he likes, due to a 2017 decision by lawmakers that removed a constitutional age limit. Elections in Uganda have been marred by allegations of rigging and military interference since 2001.

In December, the UN condemned the crackdown on opposition supporters and the media by the Ugandan authorities, including the arrests of at least 550 people since early 2025.

Additionally, it was reported on December 8th that Wine and members of his National Unity Platform (NUP) were beaten by security forces while campaigning in Gulu.

The Ugandan military confirmed its detention of a Catholic priest, Father Deusdedit Ssekabira, on December 15th, after he had been missing for nearly two weeks.

Ssekabira was accused of involvement in  “violent subversive activities“, with the army saying he would face the charges in court. The Catholic Diocese of Masaka did not comment on the allegations, but did express concern over Ssekabira’s disappearance on December 13th.

Another opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, is facing trial for treason; the 68-year-old initially went missing in November 2024, after being detained by Ugandan authorities in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

Uganda’s martial court ruled on January 14th, 2025, that Besigye would face capital punishment if convicted of the charges, which include carrying two pistols and seeking foreign military support to destabilise national security.

Bail for Besigye was denied by Uganda’s High Court on December 31st. He argued the legal proceedings were “persecution, it is not a prosecution; it is like I am being tried by the prosecutors and the persecutors I have faced for 20 years now.”

BBC News and agencies, Maghrebi.org