East African Gazette
Kampala
The government of Uganda continues to engage in discussions with Facebook, a prominent social media platform, three years after it was blocked during the 2021 general elections.
Facebook is said to have blocked several accounts of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, alleging that they were fraudulent.
Consequently, many Ugandans have since resorted to using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass the restrictions and access Facebook without limitations.
VPNs are applications that ensure online privacy by encrypting the connection between a device and the internet.
Chris Baryomunsi, the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, and National Guidance, confirmed that the discussions with Facebook are still in progress.
Speaking at a press conference held at the National ICT and Innovation Hub (NiiH) in Nakawa, Kampala, Baryomunsi mentioned that they are actively exploring ways to restore Facebook’s operations.
He also encouraged young ICT experts to leverage their knowledge and capabilities to develop similar applications to Facebook and other social networks.