Uganda cuts internet for third election as messaging app surges
Ugandan authorities have confirmed that internet access has been completely cut off ahead of Thursday’s presidential election. This marks the third consecutive election where the government has implemented such measures. Officials say the shutdown, which began Tuesday at 6:00 pm local time, is necessary to prevent the spread of online misinformation.
But there’s an interesting twist here. While the internet is down, a Bluetooth-based messaging app called Bitchat has become the most downloaded application in Uganda. It’s currently sitting at the top of both Apple App Store and Google Play charts in the country.
How Bitchat works without internet
Bitchat is designed specifically for situations like this. It uses Bluetooth mesh networks to allow users to communicate without any internet connection at all. Messages hop from device to device through Bluetooth connections, creating a decentralized network that can’t be shut down by traditional means.
What’s perhaps most telling is what else is trending in the app stores. Virtual Private Network apps are also among the top downloads, which suggests people are desperately trying to find ways around the restrictions. Access to information seems to be the most urgent need as the election approaches.
A pattern of election internet shutdowns
This isn’t new for Uganda. Back in 2016, President Yoweri Museveni imposed a nationwide internet and social media block during the election, citing security concerns. The same thing happened in 2021 with a four-day blackout starting on election night.
What’s different this time is the public’s preparation. Last week, Uganda Communications Commission executive director Nyombi Thembo actually said the internet wouldn’t be cut off. “Why would you use Bitchat when there is internet, internet will be there, use internet,” he told people. He even claimed his team had the technical capacity to turn off Bitchat itself.
Global adoption of offline messaging
Bitchat isn’t just a Ugandan phenomenon. It’s being used around the world in places where internet access gets disrupted, whether by governments or natural disasters.
In September, nearly 50,000 Nepalese users turned to the app during corruption protests when social media was temporarily banned. A similar situation happened in Madagascar about three weeks later. Then in November, Jamaicans used Bitchat when Hurricane Melissa knocked out regular communication channels with 185-mile-per-hour winds.
Data from early January showed over 400,000 Ugandans had already downloaded Bitchat before this current election period. That number is likely much higher now given the recent surge in downloads.
Critics of the internet shutdown argue that cutting off access suppresses election-related information and could potentially manipulate the outcome. They see it as more about control than about preventing misinformation.
But here’s what I find interesting: technology seems to be adapting faster than restrictions can be imposed. When governments shut down one channel, people find another. Bluetooth mesh networks represent a different kind of challenge for authorities trying to control information flow.
It’s not perfect, of course. The range is limited, and message delivery can be slow. But it works, and in situations where there’s no alternative, that’s what matters most to people trying to communicate.
