Bitchat 2026: Uganda Opposition Leader Promotes Decentralized Messaging

Google Trends search for Bitchat in Uganda indicates that the interest rose from 0 to 100 on Wednesday, which is the day after opposition leader Bobi Wine called on people to download it.

Ugandan politician and opposition leader Bobi Wine is encouraging his constituents to download Jack Dorsey’s decentralised peer, to, peer messaging service, Bitchat, in the lead up to the country’s election, alleging the ruling party will try to cut off communication services.

Uganda’s Internet Blackout Fear

During the 2016 election, long-time Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni blocked internet and social media access for the entire population, citing security and safety concerns, and again in 2021, according to a report from the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network. Wine alleged in a X post on Tuesday that a similar action is on the agenda in the lead-up to the Uganda 2026 presidential election, which is scheduled for January 15.

They switch off the internet to block communication and ensure that citizens do not organise, verify their election results and demand accountability over the massive election theft, he said. The Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network has stated that these blackouts are aimed at the opposition, which is the group that mainly uses these platforms to organise activities and protests.

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Uganda Blocks Starlink

The Ugandan government, however, argued that the measures were necessary for the security of the nation and to keep order during the election. Last week, Reuters reported on a government memo that was intended to hinder Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet equipment from being brought into the country. 

The equipment can enable areas that do not have reliable internet connections to have high-speed internet. SpaceX has refused to comment on the matter. However, Bobi Wine reacted to the news, saying that if Starlink was not allowed to come to Uganda, then Museveni was planning to “gun down his people using darkness. ” The Ugandan government is obstructing the process of bringing in Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet device.

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Bitchat: Internet-Free Messaging for Uganda’s Election

Jack Dorsey introduced a Bitchat beta in July. It employs Bluetooth mesh networks for communication that is encrypted and does not require the internet, and as per the white paper, the network is entirely decentralised with no central servers, accounts, email, phone numbers to register, or infrastructure dependencies. 

Wine said that Bitchat will enable communication with “thousands of people in a very short time, ” and facilitate the dissemination of “other important information to specific individuals or other users” during the election. He is the leader of the National Unity Platform political party and was a candidate in the 2021 Ugandan presidential election, where he lost to Museveni. Wine is accusing Museveni of rigging the election, but Museveni denies the allegations.

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Bitchat Trending in Uganda

According to Google Trends, the search for “Bitchat” in Uganda rose dramatically from 0 to 100 on Wednesday. The top five related queries included phrases such as “Bitchat apk download” and “how to use Bitchat, ” which were also the most significant “breakout topics” or “tremendous increases” in activity.

Chrome, Stats indicate that the total number of Bitchat downloads has reached 936,104 since the app was launched, with more than 4252 in the last day and over 32,524 in the last week. After the protests, the African island nation of Madagascar in September similarly witnessed a spike in the Bitchat downloads. The rise in download counts during the unrest in Nepal and Indonesia was followed by a similar trend in Madagascar earlier this month.

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