By Halima Athumani
KAMPALA, Uganda
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has issued a stern warning against Ugandans using social media "irresponsibly".
In a three-page letter, Museveni said social media was being used by “irresponsible people who have apparently been using it to spread falsehoods.”
Museveni’s comments come after a group of about ten police officers from the Special Investigations Unit went to the home of Robert Shaka, a social media critic, and arrested him on allegations that he was Tom Voltaire Okwalinga, also known as TVO.
Nicholas Opio, a human rights lawyer representing Shaka, told Anadolu Agency: "The police stated that, using computers and electronic devices, he issued offensive communications against the sovereign state of Uganda bringing it into hatred and contempt."
Opio said that according to police, "Shaka used offensive language against President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, the Inspector General of Police General Kale Kaihura and two others; thereby committing the offense of offensive communication contrary to section 25 of the Computer Misuse Act."
"Shaka is a prisoner of conscience and I will prove his innocence in the courts of law," the human rights lawyer added.
According to police, while disguising himself as Tom Voltaire Okwalinga between the 2011 and 2015, Shaka willfully and repeatedly used a computer with no purpose of legitimate communication and disturbed Museveni's right to privacy by posting statements on social media regarding the president's health.
In Museveni’s letter, he states that the talk of his ill health is fiction.
"Fortunately, in the whole 70 years of my life, God has given me excellent health save for occasional malaria attacks, coughs or mild allergic reactions," he said, adding: “Even today, there are hardly any physical exertions that I cannot undertake.”
“My client’s social media accounts are well known and do not appear under any pseudonym as the police allege,” Opio stressed.
The human rights lawyer believes that Shaka’s arrest and detention represents “an affront to the freedom of expression for all Ugandans, especially those using new media platforms to express their views and opinions.”
Collins Asiimwe, a social media analyst, told Anadolu Agency: "Social media has become an integral part of society."
"If the government is going to fight social media users, it would not only cause acrimony but also hinder services to the people," he added.
Asiimwe also believes that Ugandans are not using social media enough.
"Social media in Uganda should be used to open up government and create accountability. Besides, there is no scenario in which gagging social media has had a positive political outcome. Social media is inevitable," he said.
The Ugandan president on the other hand sternly warned that although he will not have time to answer much of what is written on social media: “When it comes to trying to divide Ugandans and Africans in general, I will confront those enemies both verbally and, if necessary, physically."
Robert Shaka, now being held in Luzira prison, will wait until Monday to know whether he will be allowed bail or not.
