Ugandan opposition leader and politician Bobi Wine is urging supporters to download Jack Dorsey’s decentralized, peer-to-peer messaging app Bitchat ahead of the country’s upcoming elections, warning that the ruling party may attempt to disrupt communication services.
Uganda has a history of internet shutdowns during election periods. In the 2016 general election, longtime President Yoweri Museveni ordered a nationwide block on internet and social media access, citing security concerns. Similar restrictions were imposed again during the 2021 elections, according to the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Wine claimed that authorities are preparing to repeat the tactic ahead of the 2026 presidential election, scheduled for January 15.
“They switch off the internet to block communication and ensure that citizens cannot organise, verify election results, or demand accountability for massive electoral theft,” Wine said.
The Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network says social media shutdowns disproportionately harm political opposition groups, which depend on these platforms to organize campaigns and protests.
Ugandan authorities defended the restrictions, saying they were necessary to protect national security and maintain public order during the election period.
Starlink imports also restricted
Reuters reported last week that a government memo called for limiting the import of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet equipment, which can deliver high-speed internet to regions that previously lacked reliable connectivity.
Dorsey launched a beta version of Bitchat in July. The app uses Bluetooth mesh networks to enable encrypted communication without internet access and, according to its white paper, is fully decentralized. It requires no central servers, user accounts, email addresses, phone numbers, or other infrastructure to operate.
Wine said Bitchat would make it possible to communicate with “thousands of people in record time” and to share “critical information with specific users or wider groups” during the election period. Wine leads the National Unity Platform and contested the 2021 Ugandan presidential election, which he lost to President Yoweri Museveni. He has alleged the vote was rigged, claims Museveni has denied. Museveni has been in power since 1986.
Bitchat trends on Google in Uganda
Search interest in “Bitchat” in Uganda surged from zero to 100 on Google Trends on Wednesday. Related searches such as “Bitchat apk download” and “how to use Bitchat” ranked among the top five and were labeled “breakout topics,” indicating a sharp spike in activity.
Data from Chrome-Stats shows Bitchat has been downloaded 936,104 times since launch, including more than 4,252 downloads in the past day and over 32,524 in the past week. In September, Madagascar also saw a surge in Bitchat downloads during protests, following similar spikes amid unrest in Nepal and Indonesia earlier that month.
