Uganda Regulator to Block Bitchat as Election Nears

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Uganda Regulator Nyombi Thembo to Block Bitchat as Election Nears

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: January 07, 2026

Key Takeaways

Uganda’s regulator warned it could disable Bitchat, despite its mesh-based system that works without internet or mobile networks;
Bitchat’s developer rejected the threat by urging Ugandan coders to join its open-source movement and resist censorship;
Over 400,000 Ugandans have downloaded Bitchat as tensions rise before the January 15 election over control of digital communication.

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Uganda Regulator Nyombi Thembo to Block Bitchat as Election Nears

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A developer of Bitchat, a decentralized messaging platform, replied to Uganda’s communications regulator ahead of the January 15 presidential election, following the authority’s claim that it could block the app.

The Uganda Communications Commission's executive director, Nyombi Thembo, said the agency has the technical expertise to disable Bitchat, even though it relies on mesh networks that bypass conventional internet systems.

The app uses Bluetooth mesh links to pass encrypted chats without Wi‑Fi or mobile service. It bypasses phones, accounts and servers.

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The developer Calle stated in a post on X on January 6:

You can't stop Bitchat. You can't stop us.

He called for support from local coders and stressing the app's open‑source nature. He said, "I invite every Ugandan developer to join the global open source movement and contribute. We don't need anyone's permission to write code".

The developer also shared that more than 400,000 Ugandans have already downloaded Bitchat.

Thembo had warned that the commission knows how to make it not work by citing its own deep bench of software experts. In a post on X shared by Patro Uganda, Thembo said, "We know how it can be made not to work".

He added a warning not to get too confident about Bitchat's immunity.

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