Govt orders social media shutdown ahead of vote
KAMPALA: Uganda ordered the shutdown of social media and messaging applications on Tuesday, just two days ahead of a highly-charged election, after Facebook closed the accounts of government officials it said had tried to manipulated public debate.
The vote today will come after one of the bloodiest campaigns in years, as veteran leader Yoweri Museveni seeks a sixth term against pop star-turned-MP Bobi Wine, who has managed to fire up a youthful population that has mostly known only one president.
Wine, who has spent most of the campaign in a bulletproof vest and combat helmet facing teargas, bullets and numerous arrests, on Tuesday urged his supporters to “protect” the election from rigging.
Despite the 38-year-old’s popularity, few observers believe he can pull off a victory against Mr Museveni, a 76-yearold former rebel leader who has ruled since 1986 and effectively crushed any opposition.
Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter were down in the East African nation on Tuesday, after the communications regulator ordered a social media shutdown.
In a letter seen by AFP, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) executive director Irene Sewankambo ordered telecommunications companies to “immediately suspend any access and use” of social media and online messaging platforms.
In a televised speech on Tuesday evening, Mr Museveni said the shutdown was retaliation for Facebook deleting pro-government accounts the day before.
“One of the groups, I think it is called Facebook, or something like, tried to target our groups,” Mr Museveni said.
“I’m sure the government has closed social media,” he added.
“I’m very sorry for this inconvenience but we cannot tolerate this arrogance of anybody coming to decide for us who is good and who is bad.”
Facebook said on Monday it shut a slew of accounts linked to the Ministry of Information and Technology that used “fake and duplicate accounts” to “make them appear more popular that they were”.
Some 18 million voters are registered for the presidential and parliamentary ballot, which takes place after a chaotic campaign. Journalists covering opposition rallies have been attacked, government critics locked up, and election monitors prosecuted, raising concerns over the transparency of the electoral process. Two days of protests in November left 54 people dead.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged “the Ugandan authorities, particularly the security forces, to act in a manner that respects international human rights standards,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, told journalists his home had been raided and his staff beaten by security forces on Tuesday morning.
He said the ruling party was trying to scare voters away from the ballot box and urged the public to record any abuses or irregularities on polling day.
“We are telling you, you will not be breaking the law when you stay and protect your vote. We encourage you to use your phones, use your cameras. Your phone is a very powerful weapon, that camera is very powerful, use it.”
Wine’s rise has rattled Mr Museveni, who has outlasted all but two of Africa’s long-serving rulers, and watched as ageing strongmen elsewhere on the continent have been ousted in popular, youth-led uprisings.
Mr Museveni presides over an increasingly urban and educated population with a median age of less than 16.
Though he has campaigned under the slogan “securing your future”, the economic boom enjoyed during his early years has faded.