Days before Uganda’s January 14 presidential election, the country is mired in a situation of intense political tension.
Authorities denied plans to cut off internet access during the vote, but the main opposition candidates publicly reiterated: Governments may block networks To prevent the mobilization and distribution of results.
Concerns were heightened after Elon Musk’s Starlink restricted its services in the country following orders from local regulators.
In this scenario, President Yoweri Museveni is seeking an extension of his term beyond 40 years, a claim his main rival Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, has repeatedly made from his X account. Population using BitChata Bitcoin-inspired messaging application designed to work without the internet.
Was it because of the other person’s voice, or did she understand the potential of Bitch Chat herself? Ugandans have adopted the Bitcoiner application in large numbers.
According to local media reports in that African country, the number of Bitch Chat downloads in that region is Reached approximately 500,000 users From the end of December to the present.
This activity has increased the app’s number of active users worldwide to approx. 1.5 million active users Early January 2026.
The following data supports the trends exposed by the Ugandan media. last week, Approximately 500,000 people have downloaded BitchatAccording to Chrome statistics. This fact is in line with the demands of the opposition in Uganda’s presidential election.
What is bitchat and why has it become so important in Uganda?
As described by CriptoNoticias, BitChat is a messaging application created by Jack Dorsey that focuses on: Privacy, decentralization, and censorship resistance.
Unlike traditional platforms, it operates without relying on a central server or internet connection.
Its operation is based on the network peer to peer (peer-to-peer), create a mesh network using local communication technologies (such as Bluetooth or direct connections between nearby devices).mesh network).
Each phone acts as a node that relays messages, allowing information to spread. Even if you don’t have access to a global network.
In practice, this means that users can still chat, share messages, and coordinate locally even if internet access is interrupted.
Finally, in addition to messaging, Bitchat Send Bitcoin (BTC) without internet. This is possible because it allows applications to connect to wallets, sign transactions locally, and send them over peer-to-peer networks.
Once one of the connected devices regains access to the internet, it can broadcast the transaction to the Bitcoin network for confirmation. This way, sending values does not require a direct connection during the operation.
This design favors self-custody and avoids intermediaries. Users maintain control of their private keys and do not rely on external servers for funds movement or communication, reducing single points of failure.
