President Yoweri Museveni has stirred fresh debate after insisting that Uganda’s main internet infrastructure should be owned and controlled by the government. Museveni argued that private ownership of the national backbone creates monopolies and keeps data costs high for ordinary citizens, a situation he said undermines national interests.
According to the president, private firms are driven purely by profit, which results in higher charges for internet access. He warned that allowing essential digital systems to remain in the hands of companies whose focus is revenue makes connectivity more expensive than it should be.
Why Museveni Wants Government-Owned Internet
Museveni said the state must retain authority over the transmission backbone while private service providers focus on the commercial side. He emphasised that key infrastructure should never be left entirely to private entities.
“The internet should not be owned by private people because when the internet is owned by business people, especially if they monopolise it, they are after money, that is why the backbone should be owned by the government,” he said.
He also linked his argument to Uganda’s technological evolution, noting that modern systems have simplified tasks that once depended on guesswork. He recalled moments from his liberation struggle to illustrate how far technology has advanced and why such infrastructure must be protected.
Will Uganda’s Government Lower Internet Prices?
Museveni said the country’s growing digital demands require strong state oversight of core systems. He explained that laser devices and other modern tools have replaced old methods, proving why national infrastructure must be protected.
The president, who has been in power since 1986, is pushing his 2026 re-election agenda with digital connectivity as one of his priorities. He insisted that the government is already working toward lowering data costs nationwide.
He said:
“I’ve been building the internet taking it all over the place. The government internet will not overcharge you. The cost will come down. But the strategy is that the backbone should be owned by the government, not private Investors. When they charge expensive, you abandon them, and use the government one.”
Uganda is currently expanding its high-speed internet reach through the National Backbone Infrastructure project, with Phase V already underway. The initiative includes laying thousands of kilometres of fibre cable to improve access across the country.