This archive report was first published on 10 August 2019.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986, and his administration has been cracking down on dissenting voices. In a move that has raised eyebrows, Museveni has instructed his administration to register and monitor social media influencers.
According to Uganda's communications regulator, the directive requires influencers with large, commercialized online followings to register and pay a $20 fee. The move has been met with criticism from human rights groups, who argue that it infringes on the rights to freedom of expression.
Stella Nyanzi, a university lecturer and social researcher, was jailed for 18 months last week on cyber harassment charges stemming from a Facebook post criticizing Museveni. Between 2016 and 2018, at least 33 Ugandans have been summoned and interrogated by police or charged with online communications offences.
People are able to express themselves freely when they know that nobody is watching over them, said Dorothy Mukasa, chief executive of digital communications rights watchdog Unwanted Witness.
However, Ibrahim Bbosa, Uganda Communications Commission spokesman, defended the move, stating that it was designed to clamp down on immoral or prejudiced content. He added that the $20 fee was intended to fund the monitoring process.
But critics argue that the fee is prohibitive and will stifle free speech. Robert Ssempala, national coordinator for Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda, said that the spirit of the regulation is to make it extremely unaffordable and frightening for people to engage in sharing information on social media.
Uganda's government has been criticized for its handling of social media, with Museveni repeatedly complaining that it is a vehicle for lying and spreading unregulated gossip. The government introduced a tax on the use of popular social media platforms last year.
As Uganda's President Museveni prepares to run again in the next presidential election in 2021, his administration's crackdown on social media influencers has raised concerns over the country's commitment to democracy and freedom of expression.
