MTN Group—MTN Uganda complied with government order to suspend internet access during January 2026 presidential election
Ahead of Uganda's January 15, 2026 presidential election, the Uganda Communications Commission ordered all licensed telecom operators to suspend public internet access and select mobile services. MTN Uganda complied, confirming it acted 'in line with its licence obligations.' Amnesty International said the compliance risked making MTN complicit in human rights violations and urged restoration of access, citing UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; MTN did not respond to requests to address the criticism. Ugandan telecom operators, including MTN, were subsequently taken to court over the shutdown. The incident followed a February 2025 Open Secrets report documenting MTN's broader pattern of involvement in government-ordered shutdowns across Africa and the Middle East, and an October 2025 six-day shutdown in Tanzania during unrest described as the country's worst post-independence massacre.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoritarian Compliance | +toward | primary | -1.00 |
| Open Internet & Web Freedom | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.460 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.55)× agency (reactive ×0.75)
Evidence (2 signals)
Techweez: Ugandan telecom operators including MTN taken to court over election internet shutdown
Techweez reported that Ugandan telecom operators, including MTN, faced legal action over the January 2026 election-period internet shutdown, adding to scrutiny over service-level guarantees and compliance with the government directive.
Daily Maverick: MTN faces pressure to restore internet access amid Uganda election shutdown
Daily Maverick reported MTN Uganda confirmed it complied with the Uganda Communications Commission's directive to suspend internet access around the January 2026 presidential election, and that MTN did not respond to criticism from Amnesty International that compliance risked complicity in human rights violations.