It appears the political tensions that build up during the presidential elections are far from over in Uganda three months down the road after Yoweri Museveni was reelected on Feb 18, 2016. Museveni is in his 31st year as the President of Uganda while opposition leader Kizza Besigye got sworn in yesterday as Uganda’s parallel president.
Besigye’s swearing in comes one day before the scheduled date for Museveni’s inauguration as the president following his victory in the February 2016 presidential polls. Museveni’s reelection has been marked with allegations of elections rigging and interference with the electoral process. Something that the opposition claims saw their candidate Besigye denied his rightful victory in the just concluded presidential elections.
It has now emerged that the Uganda Communication regulation body has directed the mobile carriers to shut down social media in the country. This government directive was issued on Wednesday, May 11th, and the carriers sent out text messages to their subscribers notifying them that social media services will be temporarily disabled until Thursday, May 12th.
The latest news this Thursday morning, indicate that opposition leader, Kizza Besigye has been arrested by the government authorities.
Citizens are being told the shutdown of social media services is for security reasons. This is the second time Uganda’s authorities are shutting down social media services; the first was during the February elections. Critics argue it is a calculated move to disable the flow of information especially among the opposition stronghold regions and control the news the outside world gets about what is going on inside Uganda.
Below is a sample of tweets made by people inside (using VPNs) and outside Uganda have to say about the government’s move to block social media and the political turmoil the country is embroiled in.
12- By our calculations, we won the 2016 election by a minimum of 52% https://t.co/cRiLpk022f #UgandaDecides
— Kifefe Kizza-Besigye (@kizzabesigye1) May 10, 2016
Download a Bear! https://t.co/EVtgGRfElV Browse like you’re in another country! @theTunnelBear pic.twitter.com/3ARlgNgAr9
— Michael O’Hagan (@micoh) May 11, 2016
Message from family: Dr. @kizzabesigye1 is at Moroto Police Station. Send support for his release
— Kifefe Kizza-Besigye (@kizzabesigye1) May 11, 2016
23- If Mr #M7 legitimately & irrefutably won this election then why would he not support an audit? #UgandaDecides
— Kifefe Kizza-Besigye (@kizzabesigye1) May 10, 2016
When Museveni woke up from a 10 hour nap and realized Besigye has been sworn in pic.twitter.com/j0t0iOxLPE
— Masaku (@masaku_) May 11, 2016
The detention facility in Moroto where #Uganda opposition leader is detained is 400kilometres from Kampala #UgandaSocialMediaShutDown
— Gerald Bareebe (@GeraldBareebe) May 12, 2016
#Uganda No lie can live forever
— Andrew Tosh (@DreTtosh) May 12, 2016
African Presidents clinging on power is just normal they are violence catalysts #Uganda
— Gideon Shako (@ShakoMnyika) May 12, 2016
Has social media shutdown created hostility vacuum in #Uganda? Complaints/frustration dominate social media as M7 prepares for swearing in
— Lizabeth Paulat (@LizabethPaulat) May 12, 2016
#Uganda is pulling out all the stops to suppress opposition, media as inauguration nears https://t.co/pYTmbS5bkk pic.twitter.com/2m70gQtpS9
— Maria Burnett (@MariaHRWAfrica) May 10, 2016
Where in the world but #Uganda does police arrest ple 4 a ‘crime’ they might be thinking of committing? #Injustice https://t.co/JWtfSU2arh
— Winnie Byanyima (@Winnie_Byanyima) May 10, 2016
Besigye was the president of #Uganda for a day. He was arrested on that same day and charged with treason. That is what I will tell my kids
— Naff (@AmNaff) May 12, 2016
How many times has @kizzabesigye1 been arrested since 2001 must be the most difficult Maths question in Ugandahttps://t.co/JTTFCyugKI
— Charles Onyango-Obbo (@cobbo3) May 11, 2016
