Uganda partially restores internet after disputed Museveni victory

Ugandan authorities partially restored internet access late on Saturday after the electoral commission declared President Yoweri Museveni the winner of a disputed presidential vote, ending a multi-day blackout that had paralysed public communications and alarmed international observers.

The shutdown began in the run-up to the Jan. 15 vote, with the communications regulator ordering a suspension of mobile and public internet services that lasted several days. Officials said the move was taken by a national security committee and the regulator framed the action as an effort to curb what it described as "misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks." Nyombi Thembo, head of the communications regulator, said the decision aimed to prevent the "weaponization of the internet" and added, "People wanted to start using the internet to promote hate speech."

Voting proceeded on Jan. 15, and the electoral body announced results on Saturday, awarding Museveni a commanding share of the count. The electoral commission gave Museveni 71.6% of the vote, figures showed, with the president credited with more than 7.9 million votes out of roughly 11.3 million valid ballots. His main challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, was credited with about 24% of the vote. Museveni, 81, was declared the victor for a seventh term, extending a rule that spans nearly four decades into a fifth decade.

Connectivity returned partially late on Saturday, with many users able to reconnect around 11 p.m. local time. Telecom operators dispatched messages to subscribers as services resumed. David Birungi, a spokesperson for Airtel Uganda, said the company had restored internet "so that businesses that rely on internet can resume work," and added that the state regulator had ordered social media platforms to remain shut. Several providers reported that business and corporate services were reconnected first while access to consumer social networks and messaging apps remained restricted under regulator orders.

Observers and rights groups criticized both the shutdown and the conduct of the vote. A joint election-observer report from the African Union and regional blocs censured the prominent role of security forces during the campaign and explicitly condemned the internet blackout. Opposition leaders rejected the results, describing the communications clampdown as a tool used to limit scrutiny and to hamper the organization of protests. Reports and social-media posts have alleged detentions of opposition supporters, disconnection of some voting machines and instances of ballot manipulation; those claims remain under investigation.

Independent monitors confirmed a phased return of connectivity but noted that many users remained offline after the initial restoration. NetBlocks and other monitoring organizations reported a slow, uneven recovery of services, leaving uncertainty about the full timeline for restoring unfettered access.

The partial reopening has immediate economic and diplomatic implications. Restored business services relieve pressure on commerce and banking, but continued social-media restrictions complicate reporting by independent media and curb citizen mobilisation. Regional governments and international partners face a delicate choice between accepting the electoral commission's results and pressing for transparent investigations into alleged irregularities and the legal basis for communications restrictions.

Key questions remain open: independent verification of alleged voting irregularities, clarification from the communications regulator on the scope and duration of blocks, and a clear timetable for the complete restoration of consumer internet services, including social media. Until those answers appear, the credibility of the vote and the robustness of Uganda’s democratic institutions will remain subject to intense scrutiny.