Uganda Government blocks social media platforms ahead of elections
By Our Correspondent
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has explained why the government has blocked the social media platforms in Uganda. Gen. Museveni who donned a Madoadoa military jacket, was addressing the nation ahead of Thursday general elections.
He said, “Now the other day, one of the international groups in the other social media channel where people spend a lot of time sending messages to one another ; even me sometimes when I have time I use it to interact with youth on that social media.
The other day, some of the groups, I think it’s called Facebook or something like that, decided to block the NRM message senders ; targeting them. Why would anybody do that?.
So when I heard about that, I told our people to warn those people and say please, that social channel you’re talking about if it is going to operate in Uganda it should be used equitably by everybody who wants to use it. If you want to take sides against the NRM then that group will not operate in Uganda.
Uganda is ours. It’s not anybody’s. Those Facebook and those groups didn’t respond I hear. And I am sure the government has closed the social media. This is unfortunate but unavoidable…. “!
“I think government has closed that facebook. I’m sorry about the inconvenience. I have also been using it to communicate with youth. But we shall not tolerate this arrogance.”
The president said we don’t need lectures from anyone. We know it all. He said he warned them, and said if it has to operate in Uganda, then it should be non discriminatory.
Gen. Museveni finally told the nation that government has closed Facebook. He regretted the incident, but said it is unavoidable and intolerable.
‘They can’t decide for us who is good or bad. I apologize for the inconvenience. We can’t tolerate the arrogance. Ugandans be confident, we have everything, economy is strong, army is strong and experienced, population are well organized, go out and vote, no one will intimidate you and don’t cheat. Lets have a clean and stable country where the vote matters,” concluded Gen. Museveni.