One arrested for announcing Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's death
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni prepares to cast his ballot at the Kaaroh high school polling station in Kiruhura, Uganda, on January 14, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The arrest comes after Mr Museveni, 76, directed security forces ‘‘to locate very quickly’’ and arrest those who had been spreading fake news about his death.
Police have arrested one man from Luweero District in central Uganda over offensive communication after he allegedly circulated falsified news that President Yoweri Museveni had passed on.
“Incontrovertible evidence got on him and shall be used for prosecution," said CID spokesperson Charles Twiine, who identified the suspect as Jamilu Ssekyondwa.
The arrest comes after Mr Museveni, 76, directed security forces ‘‘to locate very quickly’’ and arrest those who had been spreading fake news about his death.
“Apparently, social media has been saying that Museveni is dead. They (security service) should locate very quickly- the one who tells such a story,” he said during another swearing-in ceremony of cabinet ministers at Kololo Independence grounds on Thursday.
The claims that had become vocal, even after the President made several public appearances, started circulating on the night of June 26 in form of multimedia from anonymous sources on microblogging platforms, including the government-banned Facebook application.
"The other day when I went to that side of Bombo to lay a foundation (for a project). People were looking at me with shock because social media reported that I was dead," the President said.
He then ordered security agencies to solve what he described as a "non-security but rather idiotic problem".
"Security service should solve that problem. I need to check with them (security service) so that we go for you. If you’re in Europe, we denounce you and say 'go to hell' because you are wasting people’s time," he warned.
