Airtel Africa—Airtel Uganda complied with government order to suspend internet access during January 2026 presidential election
Following a January 13, 2026 directive (ECO/436) from the Uganda Communications Commission, Airtel Uganda shut down public internet access, social media, messaging apps, and mobile broadband ahead of the January 15 presidential election, alongside MTN Uganda. Airtel did not publicly challenge the directive's legal basis. Human Rights Watch and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights condemned the shutdown as a violation of the African Charter's rights to expression, association, and political participation. Airtel Uganda and MTN Uganda were subsequently named as respondents in a Ugandan High Court lawsuit challenging the shutdown's legality.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoritarian Compliance | +toward | primary | -1.00 |
| Digital Safety for Vulnerable Users | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Open Internet & Web Freedom | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.201 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.64)× agency (compelled ×0.25)
Evidence (2 signals)
Ugandan Monitor: MTN, Airtel, and UCC sued over internet shutdown during elections
Uganda's Monitor newspaper reported that Airtel Uganda and MTN Uganda were named as respondents in a High Court lawsuit alleging they implemented the internet shutdown despite lacking a lawful legal basis, and remained bound by constitutional and contractual duties to subscribers regardless of regulator instructions.
HRW: Uganda blanket internet shutdown implemented by Airtel and MTN violates rights
Human Rights Watch reported that Airtel Uganda and MTN Uganda implemented the Uganda Communications Commission's January 13, 2026 directive suspending internet access ahead of the presidential election, calling the blanket shutdown a violation of international human rights law standards on legality, necessity, and proportionality.