Museveni: We’ll reopen Facebook when they ‘stop playing games’

KAMPALA, UGANDA: President Museveni has revealed that Uganda will fully reopen Facebook if the social messaging app stops “playing games.”

The President said this during an interaction with media representatives and journalists from the different Ugandan Media Houses at Nakasero State Lodge on Friday, December 23, 2022.

“Facebook are arrogant. They were being used to attack us. When our own people tried to answer back they shut us. It has been two years since Facebook was chased out of Uganda. When I checked, boda bodas and taxis were still moving [in absence of Facebook]; even matooke and milk were still coming. I hope Facebook now knows who is in charge of Uganda! When they stop playing games we shall open them,” said Mr Museveni.

It is now close to two years since Government shut down Facebook ahead of the 2021 general elections over what was termed as abuse by users. In the two-year hiatus, Ugandans resorted to accessing the social media platform via Virtual Private Networks that seem expensive for them whereas many others have decided to quit.

Since its shutdown, there have been several attempts to negotiate the unblocking, but without tangible results with Facebook refusing to comply with governments demands to restore deleted accounts.

The remarks from the president comes days after Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) acting executive director, Ms Irene Kagwa said the government is waiting on Facebook, which is now operated by Meta, to resolve outstanding issues before it is fully reopened. 

“On our side, we are waiting for Facebook. We talked [and] we concluded. So, the outstanding issues are on their side. As government, we are ready to have it come back as soon as they deliver on their promise,” she said.

Last year, experts warned that the continued shutdown of Facebook in Uganda is having a toll on civic space and digital markets in the country.

“For a person who is using 100 MBs, who would maybe browse for a day, using normal internet, currently uses VPN to browse Facebook for just like 2 or 3 hours, increasing the cost of internet in the country.”

These said that with VPNs, it is now close to impossible to target clients in digital campaigns on Facebook because of the shutdown.

“You cannot do targeted marketing anymore; users can not target the audience of Ugandans for a campaign. You can do that for clients elsewhere but not here.”

They said that some VPNs also allow users to use their servers in exchange for users data which puts Ugandans at risk.

“H.E. this issue of closing Facebook seems to be unconstitutional, unless if you’re saying that @GovUganda has abandoned rule of law. I’m convinced that many people are using FB for businesses, so how have you catered for them amidst preaching technology and poverty alleviation,” Isabirye Simon Peter, a journalist with DailyExpress replied to the President’s tweet.