As Ugandans trooped out enmasse to vote in the presidential elections on Thursday, they were prevented from trying to share information on social media as popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp were blocked.
According to the country’s president, Yoweri Museveni, 71, the social media platforms were banned to prevent people from “telling lies”.
The president, who has been at the helms since 1986, is seeking to add five more years to his reign.
Speaking to the media about the reason being the blockage, Museveni said on a TV interview that “Some people misuse those pathways. You know how they misuse them – telling lies.
“If you want a right then use it properly.”
Many condemned the restriction, saying it was an infringement on the people’s right to share information freely.
Former President of Nigeria and commonwealth observer in the country, Olusegun Obasanjo condemned the ban, stating that “It is ill advised if anyone has blocked social media.”
Meanwhile, many were about to find a way around the blockage, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that gets round government censorship by redirecting internet activity to a computer in a different country.
Also, there were reports of the elections failing to kick off on time in many cities in the country because of late arrival of election materials.