Government Directs Internet Shutdown in UGANDA

Internet shutdowns have become a growing technique by governments around the world to control the sharing of information particularly in developing countries and which is increasingly led by government in African countries. Governments adopt this technique in order to silence the voice of the people.

 Nigeria is a good example of this mischievous act; during the #ENDSARS protest which emerged in 0ctober 2020, it was rumored that the government shutdown the internet, and were deliberating on how to control the social media.

Now Uganda has adopted this technique of shutting down the internet. Two days before the election, the telecoms regulator ordered internet service providers to block all social media platforms and messaging applications, drawing condemnation from human right activists.

 The president redeployed an elite army unit based in Somalia to the Ugandan capital and pledged to crack down on any post election protests. Election observers from the U.S are not monitoring the election for the first time in decades, after the government declined to accredit monitors. Uganda held its hotly contested election Thursday as authorities stepped up security and shut down the internet.

The election is between pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, 38, against a man twice his age — Yoweri Museveni, who’s been in power for 35 years and for three-quarters of Uganda’s youthful population is the only president they’ve known.

Museveni has been in power since a 1986 coup and lawmakers have changed the nation’s constitution twice to enable him to keep running. While his share of the vote dropped to 61% in the last election in 2016, from 74% in 1996, his influence within the state is expected to help him extend his rule. Is he aspiring to become a dictator?

      The suspensions of the internet took effect at 7pm on the 13th of January, 2021 and continue until otherwise directed. MTN Uganda Ltd said it received a directive from the Uganda communications commission to suspend all internet gateways and associated access points from 7pm on Wednesday. “MTN Uganda in compliance with its national telecommunication operator license, and in accordance to MTN’s group-wide digital human rights due diligence framework, has implemented the directive”, said by spokeswoman Rhona Arinaitwe in a statement.

The Uganda government has previously asserted that social media played a key role in mobilizing the masses during the November riots in which more than 50 people were killed following the arrest of two presidential candidates. The military has been out in force on the streets of the capital Kampala with soldiers patrolling major neighborhoods.

The suspension of the internet clearly indicates that the election is not free and fair; and this act is intended to silence the few accredited election observers, opposition politicians, human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and bloggers who are monitoring the elections. Such shutdowns are a violation of the right to freedom of expression and access to information. Many Ugandans including government officials backing the actions on social media already had Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) installed on their devices and would normally be able to circumvent a social media block, but an internet block means even VPNs are of limited use for most people. “The Uganda’s election lacks the accountability, transparency and confidence that observer missions provide” said Natalie E. Brown, U.S. ambassador to Uganda.