Ugandans cheer return of internet after election but internet blocked

Ugandans are celebrating the resumption of internet services after a shutdown was imposed ahead of last week’s election.

However, social media platforms remain blocked and are only accessible using Virtual Private Networks (VPN).

President Yoweri Museveni, who won an unprecedented sixth term in office, had accused the platforms of being biased.

Bobi Wine, the presidential candidate for the opposition National Unity Platform, alleged the poll was marred by fraud.

The party’s spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi accused Mr Museveni of shutting down the internet to prevent them from sharing evidence of fraud.

He told the BBC’s Newsday programme that the party was in the process of collecting election results forms that have evidence of irregularities.

But President Museveni said on Saturday that the poll could be the “most cheating-free” in the history of the country.

The electoral commission declared Mr Museveni the winner with 59% of the vote with his closest challenger Bobi Wine garnering 34%.

Mr Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986.

The communication blackout has led to strong criticism against the Ugandan government from human rights organisations.

It has also caused chaos at Uganda’s border with Kenya, with long traffic jams of commercial vehicles still to be cleared through customs.

In the meantime, security forces continue to surround Bobi Wine’s home, with senior officers saying the move was aimed at preventing violence.

There’s is also a heavy deployment of soldiers and police in the streets on the capital, Kampala, the BBC’s Patience Atuhaire reports.