The government of Uganda has kicked off a thorough investigation of Ugandans it says are misusing internet and social media platforms before the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) lawfully reconnects Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platforms back.

Appearing before the Information and Technology Committee of Parliament chaired by Dokolo South Legislator Paul Amoru, the State Minister for ICT Peter Ogwang said accounts found misusing the internet and social media will be shut down without further consent.

Ogwang’s tough warning was only a re-echoed message of another Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and National Guidance, Honourable Judith Nabakooba, who warned Ugandans who are accessing social media through Virtual Private Network aka VPN that they will be arrested.

Ugandan ‘Netizens’ are however treating such warnings as sarcastic and just another meme worthy situation. They claim the government can’t shut down what doesn’t belong to them like the VPN. They also claim that the government should even be the party to apologise and or even part for damages and losses for abruptly interfering with social networking platforms.

The warning came just a day after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa had ordered the Ministry to switch off the internet, block Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platforms.

The internet was switched off by the government prior to, and throughout the presidential elections and was on Monday January 18th switched back on, a day after the Electoral Commission announced President Museveni as the winner.

However, despite the fact that internet was switched back on several social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and others remain switched off and can only be accessed by Ugandans who have downloaded VPN.

This has since irked the government and prompted the warning from the ICT Ministry to all Ugandans that people using VPN  are being tracked and will be prosecuted once arrested.

By Baron Kironde

National Unity Platform (NUP) bosses are accused policemen of stealing cassava and other food stuff from the garden of their president in Magere Wakiso district.

Mathias Mpuuga, the NUP vice president Buganda and also the Masaka Municipality member of parliament elect disclosed that he was briefed by lawyers who visited Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine that policemen deployed at his home are stubbornly tampering with his personal properties.

“I was told that even those policemen reached an extent of uprooting cassava from our president’s garden. They are using his water, electricity and other stuff but why don’t you people declare that Kyagulanyi is under detention and tell us the charges you have against him” Mpuuga said.

He added that Kyagulanyi told his lawyers that life is not easy because he, together with his wife, were denied access to their garden.

However, State Minister for Privatisation and Investment Evelyn Anite rubbished the claims that policemen are stealing Kyagulanyi’s cassava and insisted that this was propaganda spread by NUP leadership to put police and other security agencies in bad light.

“What is happening to Hon Kyagulanyi is in his own interest to protect him from breaking the law. The people who keep peace and order have been restraining him to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you let Kyagulanyi out, he is going to break the law and spread COVID-19,” Anite disclosed.

“I said, nobody will intimidate us, rob us of our peace and stability when we have the ‘magye’ (Army). Today they are on the streets to protect the sovereignty of the country and it is a constitutional mandate given to the ‘magye’.” the State Minister said.

High Court Judge Micheal Elubo is set to give his ruling on a Habeas Corpus application filled by Kyagulanyi’s lawyers led by Medard Lubega Ssegona.

Kyagulanyi’s lawyers are told court that their client and his wife are under illegal detention and security should bring him in Courts of law to be charged formally.

However, the Attorney General insists that Kyagulanyi is not in detention but security agencies are giving him protection and preventing him from causing chaos.

By Grapevine Reporter

Airtel and MTN, the top two Telecommunication giants in Uganda have been dragged to the High Court Civil Division over illegal consumption of customer’s data during the internet shutdown.

Controversial city lawyer Hassan Male Male Mabirizi wants High Court Judge Boniface Wamala to declare that  the action of the respondents, to remove subscribers’ internet data bundles between 12th – 18th January 2021 yet social media platforms and the entire internet was shut down infringed on their rights.

Mabirizi is also seeking for a permanent injunction restraining the respondents from any further or future consumption of his and other subscribers’ internet data bundles when social media platforms and the entire internet are shut down.

He also wants the Court to issue an order compelling the Respondents to refund his and other subscribers’ internet data bundles chopped between 12th – 18th January 2021 when social media platforms and the entire internet were shut down.

Mabirizi wants the Court to award general damages to him and other subscribers’ whose internet data bundles were consumed on the said days.

Both telecommunication companies issued a statement noting that it was the government that issued a directive against them to shut down the internet over violence threats during the general elections. They however did not explain why most subscribers lost their data bundles during the days when the internet was totally off.

Airtel and MTN have 14 days to file their defense.

By Sengooba Alirabaki