Uganda’s Election Becomes a Test Case for Digital Repression as UN Warns of Escalating Crackdown Ahead of January Polls

“The Ugandan authorities must ensure all Ugandans can participate fully and safely in the election, as is their right under international law,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

 

As Uganda heads into national elections next week, the country is emerging as a critical case study in how technology, security legislation, and digital controls are being weaponized to suppress political dissent, according to a new report from the UN Human Rights Office.

The report warns that the 15 January elections will take place in an environment defined by systematic repression, intimidation, and shrinking civic and digital space, targeting political opposition figures, journalists, human rights defenders, online commentators, and civil society groups.

Since the last elections in 2021, Ugandan authorities have rolled out or amended a suite of laws that embed repression into the country’s digital and security architecture, creating what the UN describes as an ecosystem of impunity—one that increasingly relies on surveillance, content control, and legal ambiguity.

“The Ugandan authorities must ensure all Ugandans can participate fully and safely in the election, as is their right under international law,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. “This includes refraining from the unnecessary or disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters.”

Laws, platforms, and power

The report highlights how legislation such as the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act of 2022, the Non-Governmental Organizations (Amendment) Act of 2024, and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (Amendment) Act of 2025 has expanded state power over digital speech, civil society operations, and security enforcement.

These laws have enabled:

• Arrests of opposition leaders and activists based on online activity

• Raids and seizures of opposition party offices

• Suspension of radio stations and arrests of bloggers

• Tightened control over NGOs through regulatory and data-reporting requirements

In recent weeks, the government has imposed a blanket ban on live broadcasting of protests, further restricting real-time reporting and online dissemination of election-related developments.

Innovation used against democracy

The report documents how security forces have used unmarked vehicles—known locally as “drones”—to abduct opposition supporters, holding them incommunicado at unauthorized detention sites referred to as “safe houses.” These practices, combined with digital monitoring and movement restrictions, have significantly disrupted opposition mobilization and campaigning, particularly affecting the National Unity Platform (NUP).

Prominent opposition leader Kizza Besigye remains in detention on contested treason charges following his abduction from Kenya in November 2024. Bail has been repeatedly denied without clear justification. The recent arrest of leading human rights defender Sarah Bireete underscores what the UN calls a rapidly deteriorating environment.

Security forces—including police, military units, and the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force—are accused of using live ammunition and firearms against peaceful assemblies, in violation of international human rights standards, which allow lethal force only as a last resort to prevent imminent harm.

A call to early adopters in tech and media

The UN’s findings arrive at a moment when technology companies, digital platforms, media organizations, and civic-tech innovators face growing pressure to confront how their tools are used in electoral contexts.

Early adopters can act now by:

• Supporting secure, censorship-resistant journalism and election monitoring tools

• Investing in privacy-preserving communication platforms for civil society

• Expanding digital safety, encryption, and anti-surveillance technologies

• Demanding transparency when national laws are used to restrict online expression

The report calls for accountability for election-related human rights violations, including unresolved abuses from the 2021 elections, through independent, impartial investigations and fair legal proceedings.

Why this matters beyond Uganda

Uganda’s election is not an isolated case. It reflects a broader global trend in which digital governance, national security laws, and platform regulation are increasingly intertwined with political control.

For technologists, journalists, and investors shaping the future of digital infrastructure, Uganda is a warning—and an opportunity.

The choice is whether innovation will be used to entrench repression or protect democratic participation.

The election is days away. The window to act is now.