Internet freedom in Uganda declined significantly during the coverage period, as the government imposed sweeping digital restrictions during the contested January 2021 general elections. As President Yoweri Museveni faced a serious challenge from opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, the government restricted internet connectivity, blocked social media platforms and circumvention tools, and sought to manipulate the online information environment. During the campaign period, security forces physically attacked online journalists covering opposition campaigns and continued to arrest people who criticized Museveni online.

Museveni won his sixth term in office after 35 years in power. The polls, which were held amidst COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, were marred by excessive violence towards the opposition and election irregularities. While Uganda holds regular elections, their credibility has deteriorated over time, and the country has been ruled by the same party and president since 1986. The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) retains power through patronage, the manipulation of state resources, intimidation by security forces, and politicized prosecutions of opposition leaders. Ugandan civil society groups and independent media outlets suffer from legal and extralegal harassment and state violence.

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Score Change: The score declined from 2 to 1 in order to correct for a methodology error in one of the sources used to calculate internet penetration in previous years; the score decline does not reflect a change in infrastructural limits to internet access, speed, or quality in Uganda.

Internet penetration continues to improve, reaching an estimated 24 percent in 2017 according to the latest data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).1 The Digital in 2021 report indicates an internet penetration of 26.2 percent as of January 2021.2 In contrast, the UCC, the communications regulatory body, reports 21.4 million internet subscriptions as of December 2020, reflecting an internet penetration of 51.9 percent,3 an increase from the approximately 16.9 million users reported in December 2019.4 Telephone density stood at 67 lines per 100 inhabitants as of December 2020, an increase from 64 lines per 100 inhabitants in September 2020.5

According to internet speeds aggregator Ookla, Uganda averaged download speeds of 16.65 Mbps and upload speeds of 6.26 Mbps on mobile internet as of June 2021, and download speeds of 17.01 Mbps and upload speeds of 16.93 Mbps on fixed broadband.6 The National Broadband Policy adopted in September 2018 seeks to deliver a minimum speed of 4 Mbps nationwide.7 Other obstacles to internet access include limited access to electricity in rural areas, low digital literacy levels, and affordability challenges for internet-enabled devices such as computers and smartphones (see A2).8

In October 2020, the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance (ICT Ministry) released its Fourth Industrial Revolution strategy that prioritizes the development of fifth-generation (5G) wireless and other emerging technologies.10 In January 2020, efforts to deploy 5G technology commenced with service provider MTN Uganda partnering with ZTE, a Chinese firm.11 Some 57 percent of the population currently resides within range of 4G service, according to the Inclusive Internet Index.12

In January 2021, Alphabet, the holding company that includes Google, announced it would dissolve its subsidiary Loon, only a year after Loon signed a deal with the Ugandan government to use high-altitude balloons to provide 4G coverage to underserved areas.13 In April 2019, Nokia and Liquid Telecom announced upgrades to their fiber-optic network in East Africa, including Uganda.14 In 2017, Facebook partnered with Airtel Uganda and Bandwidth & Cloud Service (BCS) to build a 770-kilometer fiber backhaul network in northwestern Uganda as part of its Telecom Infra Project.15

While internet access has become more affordable, particularly on mobile phones, costs are still high for many Ugandans.1 The cost of 1 GB of prepaid mobile data on many mobile networks is 5,000 shillings ($1.35),2 making it unaffordable to many.3

In April 2021, the government instituted a new 12 percent tax on internet data as a part of a new tax package passed under the Excise Duty (Amendment) Act 2021.4 The new tax, which will take effect on July 1, 2021, after the coverage period, exempts data used for medical and education services.5

According to UCC data, 8 million Ugandans paid the OTT tax in July 2018, the first month when it was imposed, and 6.8 million paid the tax in September 2018, likely reflecting a combination of a decline in social media use and an increase in the use of VPNs to evade the tax.11 The UCC reported 10.2 million OTT taxpayers in December 2019, the most recent available data, a reversal of the decline.12 (The UCC also reported a 30 percent decline in the number of internet users between July and September 2018, though that decline is inconsistent with other UCC data on internet subscriptions from the same period and in subsequent reports.13) The UCC has not reported on OTT tax payment in recent reports.14

Only 25 percent of Ugandans live in urban areas17 and access to electricity is limited in rural areas, resulting in a significant urban-rural divide in internet access.18 There is also a notable gender gap in internet access: the 2021 edition of the Inclusive Internet Index reported a 13 percent gap in this category.19

Score Change: The score declined from 6 to 3 after the government imposed a five-day internet shutdown during the January 2021 elections and blocked major social media platforms for one month, with Facebook still inaccessible as of August 2021.

During the contested January 2021 elections, the Ugandan government restricted access to connectivity and blocked access to social media platforms and communication apps, which are heavily used by many Ugandans.

On January 12, 2021, access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, other social media platforms, and roughly 100 VPNs was restricted (see B1).4 Some internet users also reported difficulty accessing the Google Play Store and Apple App Store starting on January 9.5 The government restored access to all websites except Facebook on February 10, 2021.6 Facebook remains inaccessible in Uganda except by VPN as of August 2021.7

The new framework seeks to ease market entry, enhance competition, and intensify the rollout of broadband services. The framework also aims to enhance local ownership of telecommunications services by requiring national telecommunications operators to list at least 20 percent of their shares on the Uganda Securities Exchange within two years of acquiring a new license.1 The new framework six new license types2 and required operators to reapply for their licenses before the June 2020 implementation date.3 In July 2020, MTN Uganda was granted a 12-year license renewal, the first under the new framework.4

Some pundits have raised concerns over the new licensing framework, noting that it may disrupt the sector, leading to overregulation, while others criticized new fees levied under the framework, arguing that many other levies and taxes already overburden the sector. The new framework requires applicants to pay separate fees for operating in different regions in addition to the mandatory application fees and 2 percent levy on gross annual earnings.6 The previous framework did not require region-specific licensing.7 In June 2020, the UCC announced a revised radio licensing framework that includes, for the first time, a license for online radio broadcasters, effective as of July 2021.8

The number of industry players continues to grow, with many now offering competitive prices and technologies. Currently, there are 33 telecommunications service providers that offer both voice and data services, including MTN Uganda, Airtel Uganda, Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL), Africell Uganda (formerly Orange Uganda), Vodafone, Smart Telecom, and Afrimax,9 which all offer long term evolution (LTE) services. In January 2020, Lycamobile entered the Ugandan market seeking to roll out a 4G network across the country.10 All service providers are privately owned except for UTL, which the government took full ownership of in 2017, following the withdrawal of 69 percent of the shares in the company by shareholders.11

During the January 2021 elections, the Ugandan government imposed widespread restrictions on social media platforms and circumvention tools. The government continues to block pornography sites, while a Rwandan news site is reportedly inaccessible on some networks. Communication platforms and VPNs have been blocked for some users under enforcement of the tax on OTT services (see A2).

On January 12, 2021, two days before the election, access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, other social media platforms, and roughly 100 VPNs was restricted.1 Some internet users also reported difficulty accessing the Google Play Store and Apple App Store starting on January 9.2 The government restored access to all blocked services except Facebook on February 10, 2021.3 Facebook remains inaccessible in Uganda except by VPN as of August 2021.4 The blocks were accompanied by a five-day internet shutdown (see A3).

In February 2019, the UCC instructed the Daily Monitor to suspend its website, ostensibly for failing to register the site as required by a 2018 government regulation. However, analysts contend that the order was made due to an unflattering story about the speaker of Parliament published on the website, which elicited complaints from the speaker.3 The website ultimately remained accessible, but the controversial story was taken down.

Restrictions on internet and digital content frequently lack proportionality to the stated aims, including the restrictions on internet connectivity, social media sites, and circumvention tools imposed during the coverage period. Service providers are governed under several frameworks that require them to filter, remove, and block content considered illegal by authorities. These include the Uganda Communications Act, 2013,1 the Regulation of Interception of Communication (RIC) Act, 2010,2 and the Anti-Pornography Act, 2014,3 among others. 152ee80cbc

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