Museveni Minister Otaffire Tells Speaker Among,Demanding For Accountability Isn’t Hate Speech, Stop Arresting Activists
Minister Kahinda Otafiire, known for his straightforwardness, has cautioned leaders against misinterpreting citizens’ demands for accountability as hate speech.
In Uganda, activists face challenges as political leaders use the law to silence those who demand action against corruption and inefficiencies, labeling them as hate speech.
A TikToker was sentenced to six years in prison for comments against President Yoweri Museveni, while a former deputy RCC was remanded for hate speech and sharing malicious information against Speaker Anita Among.
Otafiire now says leaders must do the right thing and stop thinking they can accuse people of hate speech simply because they have pointed out their ills.
“If you are in leadership, you have to be upright and accountable,” Otafiire said during a graduation ceremony at Kampala International University (KIU) on July 13.
“Those of you in authority, stop confusing demand for accountability with hate speech.”
He urged young people to support those who stand up for what is right, saying, “Do not let the struggle for freedom and justice be in vain.”
He encouraged them to oppose corruption, adding, “Stand up and tell us ‘sorry, enough is enough, you have to stop here.’”
“You still have 50 to 60 years ahead of you. Do not accept to pay the price we have paid for you to repay what we have regained on your behalf,” he said.
“Stand up and tell us ‘sorry, enough is enough you have to stop here.”
Otafiire noted that corruption has relegated Ugandans to the status of uncivilized people driven by greed. He emphasized that there is enough to satisfy human needs but not enough to satisfy greed.
He urged Ugandans to work hard to recover their dignity and stand among civilized people, free from corruption.
Otafiire’s comments come a day after the state amended former deputy RCC Anderson Burora’s charge sheet, detailing his alleged offenses as calling Speaker Anita Among a “murderer, corrupt, torturer, and kidnapper.”
