National shutdown
Mobile Internet, Broadband
On 13 January 2026, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) ordered the temporary suspension of Internet access during the election period. General elections are scheduled to be held in Uganda on 15 January 2026 to elect the President and the Parliament.
- Total Duration 5 days, 4 hours
Uganda
- Population
- 50,015,092
- UN Classification
-
- Least Developed Country
- Land Locked Developing Country
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Local impact
External measurements of Ugandan Internet connectivity indicate a significant disruption occurring at 18:00 local time in line with the terms of the UCC order.
One local contact has noted:
"...one new feature of this shutdown is exemptions for critical infrastructure and services, including the UIXP [Uganda Internet Exchange point], which means it's not a total blackout. But a lot of local stuff has broken that shouldn't, and I have started working with various entities and e-government services to see if we can find a way to get them back online during the shutdown."
The orders come one week after the UCC publicly declared it would not block Internet connectivity during the election.
In December, Uganda's government also restricted imports of Starlink satellite Internet equipment. On 1 January 2026, Starlink disabled its service for users in Uganda following a request from the UCC.
Uganda last experienced a four-day national shutdown followed by a 1-day service blocking event in 2021, in the lead-up to its last general election.
Related documentation
Uganda Communications Commission suspension order
Order from the UCC to CEOs of Licensed MNOs and ISPs to suspend Internet services from 18:00 local time on 13 January 2026.
Other supporting information
IODA, Cloudflare Radar, Google Transparency Report, and the Uganda Internet Exchange Point (UIXP) all show significant drops in Internet connectivity and traffic to their services from the stated time of the orders (13 January 2026, 18:00 local time).
