Ugandan authorities late on Saturday partially restored internet services after President Yoweri Museveni secured a seventh term in office, extending his rule towards five decades amid opposition rejection of the results.
Users reported reconnecting to the internet around 11.00 p.m. local time, with some internet service providers informing customers that services had resumed, excluding social media platforms.
A spokesperson for Airtel Uganda, one of the country’s largest telecom companies, confirmed the development, saying: “We have restored internet so that businesses that rely on internet can resume work.” He added that the state communications regulator had ordered social media services to remain shut.
The state run Uganda Communications Commission said the internet shutdown was imposed to curb “misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks.” Opposition figures criticised the move, accusing authorities of using it to tighten control over the electoral process and ensure victory for the incumbent.
UCC spokesperson Ibrahim Bbosa did not respond to calls seeking comment.
Uganda’s electoral commission on Saturday declared Museveni winner of Thursday’s presidential poll with 71.6% of the vote. His main challenger, pop star turned politician Bobi Wine, received 24% of the vote.
An election observer mission comprising the African Union and other regional bodies criticised the role of the military during the election and the authorities’ decision to cut off internet access.
“The internet shut down implemented two days before the elections limited access to information, freedom of association, curtailed economic activities…it also created suspicion and mistrust on the electoral process,” the observers said in a report released on Saturday.
Museveni, in power since 1986 and Africa’s third longest serving head of state, will be nearly five decades in office by the end of his new term in 2031. He is widely believed to be positioning his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, currently the head of the military, as a potential successor. Kainerugaba has previously expressed presidential ambitions.
Wine has rejected the election outcome, alleging widespread fraud. Scattered opposition protests broke out late on Saturday after the results were announced, according to a Reuters witness.
In Magere, a northern Kampala suburb where Wine lives, youths burned tyres and set up road barricades, prompting police to fire tear gas. Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala told Reuters the protests had been contained and arrests made, adding that details of those detained would be released later.
Wine’s whereabouts were unclear early on Sunday after he said in a post on X that he had escaped a military raid on his home. Sources close to him told Reuters he was at an undisclosed location. Wine was briefly placed under house arrest after the 2021 election.
Wine has alleged that hundreds of his supporters were detained in the months before the vote and that some were tortured. Government officials have denied the claims, insisting that all detainees violated the law and would be treated according to due process.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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