•81-year-old Uganda’s incumbent president Yoweri Museveni seeking 7th term in office
A senior Ugandan official today defended the internet blackout imposed ahead of elections, saying it was necessary to prevent riots and misinformation.
The East African country goes to the polls tomorrow in a vote widely expected to secure President Yoweri Museveni his seventh term, due to his total control over state and security bodies, reports AFP.
The authorities shut off access to the internet yesterday, despite repeated promises not to do so, adding to fears of renewed repression and manipulation on election day.
Presidential advisor Hajat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye defended the move, saying: “Internet creates wars, riots, misinformation.
“They had to shut down the internet because of the misinformation from different stakeholders,” she told our correspondent.
The United Nations human rights office said the shutdown — as well as a ruling this week to suspend 10 rights NGOs — was “deeply worrying”.
Uzeiye told our correspondent they expected a landmark win of “at least 70 per cent” in the election.
“We are not ready for him to leave,” she said.
She rejected allegations from opposition leader Bobi Wine, analysts and rights groups that he is a military dictator who has violently repressed the opposition during his four-decade rule.
“I won’t call it dictatorship,” she said.
“What they are trying to portray to the world is the element of dictatorship without giving any version of the why, the who, the where, and the what.”
