Prosper Okoye
Ugandan authorities have partially restored internet services following President Yoweri Museveni’s victory in Thursday’s presidential election, while keeping social media platforms offline.
Users reported reconnecting to the internet around 11:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, with some internet service providers confirming that services had resumed, excluding social media.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAirtel Uganda, one of the country’s largest telecom companies, said: “We have restored internet so that businesses that rely on internet can resume work.
”The company added that the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), the state regulator, had directed social media services to remain suspended.
The UCC said the shutdown was intended to curb “misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks.”
Opposition leaders, however, accused the government of using the blackout to control information and influence the election outcome.
Uganda’s Electoral Commission announced Museveni as the winner with 71.6% of the vote, while his main challenger, pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, secured 24%. Wine has rejected the results, alleging widespread fraud.
Scattered protests broke out late on Saturday in Kampala, with Reuters reporting youths burning tyres and setting up roadblocks in Magere, a northern suburb.
Police responded with tear gas, according to spokesperson Racheal Kawala, who said the demonstrations had been contained and arrests made.
Details of those detained were not immediately released.
Wine’s whereabouts were unclear early on Sunday.
He had posted on X that he escaped a military raid on his home, and sources close to him told Reuters he was in an undisclosed location.
An African Union-led election observer mission criticised the role of the military during the vote and condemned the internet shutdown.
“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, is Africa’s third longest-serving leader and will reach nearly five decades in office by the end of his new term in 2031.
Analysts say he may be positioning his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, currently the head of the military, as a potential successor.
Wine has claimed that hundreds of his supporters were detained in the months leading up to the election and that some were tortured, allegations the government has denied, insisting all detainees were in violation of the law and would be treated according to due process.
Prosper Okoye is a Correspondent and Research Writer at Prime Business Africa, a Nigerian journalist with experience in development reporting, public affairs, and policy-focused storytelling across Africa
