Zambia Votes August 13 — Digital Rights Groups Urge Authorities to Keep the Internet On

Key Takeaways

• Zambia holds elections on August 13, 2026. Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition — a network of over 370 organizations from 106 countries — have published an open letter urging Zambian authorities not to disrupt internet access during the electoral period.
• Zambia shut down social media platforms during its 2021 election, and experienced similar disruptions in 2020 and 2016. The pattern of election-period shutdowns is well-established.
• In June 2026, Zambia's Ministry of Technology and Science committed publicly to not shutting down the internet during the upcoming elections. The coalition is calling on President Hichilema to personally affirm and enforce that commitment.
• Election-period internet shutdowns undermine transparency, prevent citizens from accessing information, silence accountability reporting, and — as documented across Africa and globally — correlate strongly with human rights abuses that go unreported while connectivity is cut.

Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition — a global network of over 370 organizations from 106 countries working to end internet shutdowns — have published an open letter urging Zambian authorities to guarantee uninterrupted internet access throughout the country's elections on August 13, 2026. 

The letter calls on President Hakainde Hichilema to issue a directive to the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority, the Ministry of Technology and Science, and all internet service providers operating in the country to refrain from disrupting internet and platform access during the electoral cycle and beyond.

The warning is grounded in history. During Zambia's 2021 election, authorities shut down access to major social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Similar disruptions were reported in 2020 and 2016. Three consecutive elections, three instances of connectivity interference — a pattern, not a series of coincidences.

There is some reason for cautious optimism. In June 2026, Zambia's Ministry of Technology and Science stated publicly that the government would not deliberately shut down the internet during the upcoming elections. The coalition welcomes that commitment and says it will be watching. 

The ask now is for President Hichilema to personally affirm and enforce it — not just a ministry statement, but a public, enforceable directive with teeth.

Why Election-Period Shutdowns Aren’t a Minor Inconvenience

The framing of election-period internet shutdowns as temporary inconveniences understates what they actually do. When connectivity is cut, or social media is blocked during an election, several things happen simultaneously: citizens lose the ability to share information about what they're witnessing at polling stations. Independent journalists lose the ability to report in real time. 

Opposition candidates and civil society organizations lose their primary channels for reaching supporters. Diaspora communities lose contact with family members voting at home.

And crucially: the things that happen while the internet is off stay off the record. As Access Now and the Bloggers of Zambia note in the open letter, people need "an avenue to sound the alarm and hold authorities accountable for human rights abuses and violations." 

An internet shutdown doesn't just silence reporting on election irregularities — it silences reporting on everything that happens under cover of the shutdown, including abuses that have nothing to do with the election itself.

We've covered Africa's internet shutdown problem before: 30 shutdowns across 15 countries in 2025 alone, with the number more than doubling since 2016. Zambia's history fits that trend. The difference on August 13 is that the government has made a public commitment that gives civil society something concrete to hold it to.

The Commitment on the Record

The Ministry of Technology and Science's June statement matters not just as a promise but as a legal and political anchor. Access Now references a 2021 consent judgment that already includes commitments to keep the internet open during elections — commitments that Zambia's government is on record having agreed to. 

The coalition's letter is, in part, a reminder that those commitments exist and will be documented against whatever happens on August 13.

I think the value of this kind of pre-election pressure is often underestimated. It doesn't guarantee anything. Governments that have shut down the internet during elections before can do it again, regardless of prior commitments. 

But naming the history, citing the legal record, and putting 370 organizations on the record as watching creates accountability infrastructure that makes it harder to act with impunity and easier to hold governments responsible when they do.

Eight days. The coalition will be watching. So will we.