A woman uses a smartphone to browse the internet. PHOTO/ FILE
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has announced the full restoration of internet services, stating that Ugandans can now access all online services without the restrictions previously in place during elections.
Users reported being able to reconnect to the internet on Monday afternoon, and some service providers sent out a message to customers saying the regulator had ordered them to restore their services after a “successful completion of the necessary technical and security assessments.”
“The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) informs the General Public that internet services have been fully restored across the country, following successful completion of the necessary technical and security assessments. Members of the public can now access the internet and all online services without the previously imposed restrictions. UCC sincerely appreciates the patience, cooperation and understanding shown during the period of limited internet access and remains committed to monitoring the digital environment to promote a safe, stable and reliable online experience for all users,” the communications regulator announced in a Monday statement.
The development comes after President Yoweri Museveni, 81, won a seventh term to extend his rule into a fifth decade with a landslide victory rejected by the opposition.
State-run UCC said they had shutdown internet to curb "misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks."
The opposition, however, criticised the move, saying it was to cement control over the electoral process and guarantee a win for the incumbent through manipulation of the results and entire process.
The Electoral Commission, chaired by Justice Simon Byabakama, on January 17, 2026, declared the former guerrilla leader the winner of the January 15's polls with 71.65 per cent of the vote, while his rival, pop star-turned-politician, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, was credited with 24.72 per cent of the vote.
A joint report from an election observer team from the African Union and other regional blocs criticised the involvement of the military in the election and the authorities' decision to cut off the internet.
"The internet shutdown 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 team said in their report published on January 17.
In power since 1986 and currently Africa's third longest-ruling head of state, Mr Museveni's latest win means he will have been in power for nearly half a century when his new term ends in 2031.
He is widely thought to be preparing his son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to take over from him. Gen Muhoozi is currently head of the military and has expressed presidential ambitions while threatening his father’s opponents and arresting their supporters
Mr Kyagulanyi, who was taking on Museveni for a second time, has rejected the results of the latest vote and alleged mass fraud during the election.
Mr Kyagulanyi’s whereabouts are unknown after he escaped a raid by the military on his home. He was briefly held under house arrest following the previous election in 2021.
He has said hundreds of his supporters were detained during the months leading up to the vote and that others have been tortured.
Gen Muhoozi said authorities had shot dead 30 NUP supporters he described as “terrorists” and detained hundreds over election-related offences.
