BIG STORY: The Daily Express has learnt that Government through the Ministry of Information and National Guidance has ordered all Telecommunication companies and other dealers in the communications sector to shutdown internet, mobile money transactions and calls on elections day.
In a letter to one of the players, government lists WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and WTF as some of the key items that will have to be switched off.
“Mobile data services (Country wide)-Excluding NON-GSM, Mobile data service (Regional cluster) Excluding NON-GSM, Mobile data services (Country wide) including NON-GSM, and mobile data (Regional cluster) including NON-GSM” reads the directive which Eagle Online has seen.
Other services that have been listed are “Voice, SMS and Data (country wide and full network shutdown, Voice, SMS and Data (Network shutdown on Regional cluster). Data (country wide excluding dedicated APN, Data (Regional cluster excluding dedicated APN and finally MOMO services both country wide and regional cluster”.
With only 10 days left to go the General Elections on the 14th of Jan, 2021, the directive comes in effect as it in the previous elections where internet was switched off on election day until the results were announced.
This is not the first-time government is shutting down communication systems like it has down so on the eve of the previous elections. When faced with challenges Ugandan authorities will resort to switching off internet.
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