How Uganda’s Opposition Leader Leveraged Bitchat to Defy Election Internet Blackouts

When governments flip the kill switch, decentralized tech flips them the bird. Uganda's latest election cycle saw a familiar play: authorities throttling the internet to stifle dissent. The opposition's counter-play? Bitchat—a peer-to-peer messaging protocol that doesn't ask for permission.

The Censorship-Proof Workaround

Forget centralized servers that can be unplugged. Bitchat operates on a mesh network, bouncing encrypted messages directly between devices. No central point of failure means no single switch to throw. It's digital dissent, weaponized by open-source code.

Finance's Ironic Footnote

Here's the kicker for the crypto-skeptics: while Wall Street debates blockchain's 'utility,' activists are using its foundational ethos—permissionless, borderless communication—to protect basic democratic speech. Sometimes the most valuable asset isn't on a balance sheet; it's the ability to say 'no' when the lights go out.

The takeaway is stark. Tools built for financial sovereignty are morphing into shields for political sovereignty. When traditional channels go dark, the decentralized web becomes the last light standing. Governments can shut down the internet, but they can't shut down a network that lives in everyone's pocket.

Bobi Wine calls for Bitchat usage amid concerns about internet shutdown

Bobi Wine wrote on X that Uganda’s current government is plotting to block internet services in the country and restrict information relay on social media channels. Wine claims that the regime has done so in the past elections and could be laying down plots to do the same in the upcoming elections. 

HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED BITCHAT YET?

As we all know, the regime is plotting an internet shutdown in the coming days, like they have done in all previous elections. They switch off the internet in order to block communication and ensure that citizens do not organise, verify their… pic.twitter.com/KPVyc0ZW4H

— BOBI WINE (@HEBobiwine) December 30, 2025

In 2016, Uganda’s current and longest-serving president, Yoweri Museveni, blocked internet and social media access in the country, citing concerns over safety and security. Wine emphasized that Bitchat will allow users to “communicate with thousands of people in record time” when the government shuts down the internet.

He also explained that users “will be able to send pictures of DR Forms and share any other critical information to specific or other users” through the platform.

A report from the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network, a human rights umbrella organization, stated that Museveni disconnected the entire country from internet access during the 2021 elections. The organization noted that the internet blockage lasted approximately 4 days, from the day before the election (January 13) to January 18. 

Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former Twitter (now X) exec, launched Bitchat in July this year. The application provides a peer-to-peer messaging platform that enables users to send messages offline via Bluetooth, eliminating the need for an internet connection.

The Bitchat application utilizes a decentralized infrastructure that prevents users from providing personal details, such as phone numbers and email addresses, to use the platform, unlike traditional messaging platforms. 

Bitchat saw widespread usage during protests in Madagascar in September this year. The application received over 70,000 downloads from the country alone in just one week. Protests in Nepal also prompted nearly 50,000 downloads in the country on September 8 alone.

Ugandan government restricts Starlink importation and usage

The news comes after the Ugandan government issued a memo restricting the importation of Starlink, a satellite internet constellation by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The internet firm provides high-speed connections even in remote areas that previously had no reliable options.

The memo detailed that any importation of Starlink and its associated equipment should “be accompanied by a clearance certificate/authorization letter from the Chief of Defense Forces.” The restriction also comes just weeks before Uganda’s elections, where Yoweri Museveni will face his leading contender Bobi Wine for the second time.

Bobi Wine said that the ruling regime is operating in fear and asked the government why it was so concerned about people accessing the internet, if it was not planning mischief or electoral fraud.

Starlink has not received a formal license to operate in Uganda. However, citizens in the country have been importing the equipment and using the internet services.

Starlink has secured operating licenses in over 20 African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, and Zambia. However, significant regulatory hurdles in some African countries have restricted Starlink’s expansion plan. Cameroon, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Sudan have emerged as complex markets for Starlink due to regulatory constraints.

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