In response to the closure of several Facebook Accounts of the ruling party, NRM, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni responded by announcing the complete ban of all social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Google, Viber, and even newcomers such as Telegram and Signal until further notice.
The order was followed by the Ugandan Communications Commission which urged all service providers to suspend immediately access to all those platforms and also block the known VPN’s used to boycott such directives
The president disclosed in his address that was aired on social media as well as on television that he could not tolerate any ‘arrogant’ person deciding for Ugandans who is good or bad.
Facebook on the flip side in a statement, revealed that the ban was in line to purge the platform from what it refers to as coordinated inauthentic behaviour engaged by accounts belonging to pro-government persons.
This is the second major event involving tech giants that hope to curb the misuse of their platforms by political giants who wish to commandeer public opinion in their favour, the first was Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey who blocked the U.S President, setting a precedence that there is no sacred cow. Other major platforms followed suit after the US Capitol attacks that cost four people their lives.
Anxiety continues to rise barely a day away to the most anticipated election of this year yet as the world watches if Museveni’s strongest opponent will be able to offset him from the seat he has ruled on for 35 years and has refused to relinquish.