Nairobi News

General

Museveni restores Facebook, Twitter


Uganda President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday restored internet and social media services in the country.

This was confirmed in a statement from the State Minister for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Peter Ogwang.

Ogwang also apologized for the inconveniences when the government disrupted internet services on the eve of the January 14 general elections but insisted the decision was made to safeguard the country’s safety.

“Internet and social media services have been fully restored. We apologize for the inconvenience caused, but it was for the security of our country. Let’s be constructive, not destructive consumers/users of social media,” minister Ogwang said.

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and YouTube have been blocked in the country since January 12, 2020, as the country geared up for the 2021 general elections.

A day later, the country went into a total internet shutdown on January 13th, 2021 and although the internet was restored after the elections, social media platforms remained blocked in the country.

Several Ugandans, including cabinet ministers, however, continued to access the blocked social media platforms using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).