Uganda: Yoweri Museveni Now Says The Internet Should Be Owned By The Government

Yoweri Museveni said the basic internet infrastructure should be controlled by the government so that data costs are affordable
The President of Uganda said that private ownership fosters monopoly driven by profit rather than national interest
His remarks come a few days after he claimed that the Indian Ocean also belongs to Uganda, before later saying that the moon is also a common property.

President Yoweri Museveni has raised the debate again after insisting that basic internet infrastructure should be under government control.

Yoweri Museveni wants the government to own the internet infrastructure to control prices. Photo: NBS.
Source: UGC

He said that private ownership leads to monopoly and keeps data costs high for ordinary citizens, which he believes undermines the national interest.

Museveni said private companies have one goal, profit, which makes digital access more expensive than it should be.

Why Museveni wants government owned internet

He emphasized that the government must continue to have control over the main distribution backbone while the service providers handle the commercial side.

Comments about Yoweri Museveni’s statement

Museveni’s views on internet ownership were met with mixed opinions, with some netizens claiming the government could shut down the internet during elections. Below are some comments:

Peter Musebi:

“To turn it off during the election.”

Ochom Fredrick:

“It’s a very good idea for both government-owned and private internet, so that when private time becomes more expensive then we use government-owned internet.”

Isa Mecha:

“Governments in EA are rushing towards privatization of government agencies but want to control the internet?”

Stephen Makinda:

“He wants to shut down the internet on election day. We know these politicians.”

Will the Ugandan government reduce internet prices?

According to him, modern systems such as laser devices have simplified tasks that previously depended on guesswork, and this change proves why countries must protect critical networks.

Museveni has been in power since 1986, and is advancing his agenda for the 2026 re-election with digital connectivity at the center of his development programmes.

The President said his goal is to reduce data costs across the country and support the growing demand for digital services.

“I have been building the Internet and taking it everywhere. The government Internet will not charge you much. The cost will decrease. But the strategy is that the backbone should be owned by the government, not private investors. When they charge high costs, you leave them, and use the government’s,” he said.

Uganda has been laying thousands of kilometers of fiber cables to expand access to high-speed internet, with Phase Five of the National Backbone Infrastructure project already underway.