As like any other millions online traders in Uganda using Facebook, Badru Kabogoza, Chairperson Urban Smart Traders Association of Uganda suffers the consequences of over three years restriction of Facebook by the government of Uganda.
To Badru, Facebook has been a commercial platform connecting sellers to buyers across the globe and its restriction affected millions of online trading communities.
“We are a small group of online traders, we used to trade online using Facebook and other e-commerce platforms. Before its restriction, we were making UGX15 million [about 4000 dollars] monthly,” Badru revealed.
Adding that, “when they closed and restricted Facebook, we lost the trading infrastructure that was linking us to millions of traders. We lost all of them; now we have to ride motorcycles to survive.”
Badru further revealed that the same motorcycles they were using to deliver items ordered online by customers from the main trading center to suburbs of Kampala and those employed were making UGX150,000 [about 40 USD] per day.
“Now, they are not even making even UGX30, 000 [about 8 dollar] per day. We were hiring taxis to transport our products to different parts of the country, especially upcountry; all of them have lost income,” Badru noted.
However, Badru noted that many businesses in Uganda were connected to the market by Facebook because the majority of Ugandans were using Facebook as one of the main internet platforms to advertise their businesses.
According to Badru, the closure and restriction of Facebook has led to low turnover of many businesses in Kampala and surrounding areas. To him, the biggest challenge is that many players including the government did not know about the turnover.
“Of course, there was a small group of Ugandans that started using Facebook responsibly by advertising their different services and products on the internet. All those businesses crumbled, for example, Ugandans in the diaspora and abroad about shs2.5 million,” Badru told this publication.
He further said that, “all of them were linking up with the business community through Facebook because platforms like Facebook, Google, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram are very famous with people with Facebook mostly used in Uganda.”
As of January 2024, Uganda’s internet penetration rate stood at 27.0 percent of the total population at the start of 2024 and with 13.30 million internet users.
Kepios analysis indicates that internet users in Uganda increased by 1.2 million [+10.3 percent] between January 2023 and January 2024.
Badru, however, revealed that the continuous striking by traders today may be due to the restriction and closure of Facebook in Uganda.
“That is why you can see in Kampala, there are a lot of strikes by traders; I think you have not seen this before that the entire city closed shops every week. This has been unprecedented. Why? Because online businesses are so down, even the traders think it is the increased tax. Tax has always been there,” Badru said.
Adding that, “traders were not feeling it before because they were working. Facebook was a channel of distribution of goods and services for Ugandans; now we have a problem of low tax base, low GDP because most of our products are not profiled online.”
In his words, Badru noted that Facebook was profiling and advertising their products online so everyone was able to view more reliably and with global reach compare to local radio stations and TVs.
“They are restricted. Their coverage is restricted; take an example of CBS, it is only a central radio station but the internet is borderless. It could get you clients from across the globe,” Badru said.
Economically, Badru noted that the closure and continuous restriction of Facebook was a great disservice to the business community especially the online traders.
“We are 555 registered members and so far have lost close to UGX238 billion [about 64049536 dollars] ever since Facebook was closed. We have lost money, we even reach an extent of suing the government for this but we stop because the courts belong to the government like every other thing,” Badru said.
He further noted that they approached different stakeholders including UCC, Ministry of ICT, Prime Minister, Minister of Kampala and others who, to them, seem to lack the basic understanding of how the internet helps businesses.
Uganda’s weaponization of internet including Facebook and other social media platforms during the 2016 and 2021 elections has continued to cause serious damage to human rights and the digital market amidst legal threats from the Urban Smart Traders Business Association Limited in October 2023, according to NilePost.
“Prior to the unfortunate closure of Facebook on January 12, 2021, our client’s members were actively operating 100 Facebook groups, 500 online websites, 280 mini-websites, with the sole aim of increasing online connectivity and visibility to enhance their business income,” stated the notice to UCC.
In their notice, the company claims to have lost approximately 3,874,000 clients who were active Facebook subscribers in Uganda at the time of the closure, along with 2,989,000,000 (two point nine billion) potential clients in the global market.
However, Lawyer Luyimbazi Nalukoola, who represented the traders highlighted that the continued closure of Facebook has resulted in significant financial losses for its members, estimated at around 66 billion Ugandan shillings.
This loss further extends to the supply chain affecting 650 boda bodas, 88 Lorries and pickups and 180 taxis.
“In response, some of our client’s members resorted to opening accounts on local online marketplace websites, incurring exorbitant fees of 138.8% higher than Facebook resulting in a loss of approximately 18 million shillings in subscription fees alone,” the lawyer noted in the notice.
According to Badru, they wanted to force the government to open Facebook because the reasons the government gave to them [online traders] were unfair.
He however said that the government closed Facebook because Facebook had blocked accounts of NRM-leaning members about 210 thus in reiteration, the government closed all of its services to about 3,870,000 users of Facebook.
In January 2021, Facebook shut down several accounts of a network in Uganda linked to the country’s Ministry of ICT while accusing the network of using fake accounts to promote the ruling party and the president.
The Facebook accounts shut down were allegedly linked to the “Citizens Interaction Center” at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.
In its statement, Facebook accuses the account holders of using fake and duplicate accounts to manage pages, comment on the other people’s content, impersonate users and re-share posts in groups to make them appear more popular than they were.
To the traders, Badru noted that they are in talks with UCC, URA and other stakeholders to present to them the damage caused by the closure of Facebook because Uganda has a higher rate of unemployment especially among the young people.
“Many young people from senior six and senior four have started enterprising on the internet because the internet enables you to work from wherever you are. These people work from home, even from the villages they can still conduct businesses. All those opportunities were lost,” Badru said.
Although the use of technology would promote the participation of marginalized groups including women, persons with disabilities, minority groups, activists, and refugees, the government imposed internet censorship hindered their right to freely access information online and participate in the democratic process.
Days before the 2021 general elections, the Ugandan government wrote to Google to block 14 YouTube channels which the regulator, the UCC accused of broadcasting information that potentially compromises national security.
In response, Google requested for a court order to close the YouTube Channels.
However, the government began by blocking social media platforms and Play Store Apps on January 9, 2021 even though Over the Top Tax was paid by users. Days before the January 14, 2021 election day, Facebook had banned the accounts of pro-government entities, including those of individuals that spread false and misleading information about the 2021 general elections.
This move caused President Museveni to cite an indefinite ban on Facebook in Uganda stating that Facebook was taking sides with the opposition party.
Therefore, it was followed by a complete shutdown on the eve of election [January 13, 2021] that blocked millions of Ugandans from communicating especially during the democratic process when the internet was needed the most.
MTN issued a statement on January 12, 2021 citing that they had received directives from Uganda Communications Commission [UCC], the country’s regulator to suspend all the internet gateways.
All other internet service providers in Uganda had to comply with the government’s request to completely cut off people from accessing the internet in order to protect their operating license by the UCC.
This government decision to shut down the internet during the polling process however, was backed up by the Uganda Human Rights Commission.
However, it was further confirmed by X formerly Twitter about the decision of the government of Uganda ordering service providers to block social media and messaging apps.
Sam Kutesa, the then, Foreign Affairs Minister said that the “internet shut down a day before election, was a necessary step to stop the vitriolic language and incitement to violence, which was a threat to Uganda’s democratic process and the security of the citizens.”
He further told international delegates and journalists that the internet shutdown was necessary as some presidential candidates were allegedly planning to commit post-election violence, calling it “Plan B.” This move was against the international human rights principles of proportionality, necessity and legality.
Though, the internet was partially restored on January 18, 2021 after Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner with users still requiring circumvention tools such as virtual private networks [VPNs] to access and use some services of the internet like social media platforms.
The blockage was maintained on some social media sites such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, X formerly Twitter and Play store Apps while services like mobile money were also affected during the internet outage.
Segawa Nakisanze, senior reporter at Global Press Journal covering Uganda told this publication that access to her editors and communications were cut off due to the internet shutdown.
“I could not communicate with my editors at the Global Press Journal because the internet connections were cut off. They wanted updates on the election processes but I cannot do so since my WhatsApp was not functioning well and other social media handles,” Segawa said.
Internet speed was also reported by many internet users to have greatly slowed down affecting access to information and financial transactions. This however affected more than 16 million internet users with unpredicted loss, especially data subscribers, Over the Top [OTT] taxpayers and businesses such as banks who could not make normal banking transactions, and file the value added tax returns or remit tax payments by business and other sectors.
Arthur Owor, the Director of the Centre for African Research and a human rights advocate told this publication that in Uganda, there have been a number of instances whereby the government had shut down the internet and the new media.
According to Owor, this grossly affects the human rights that individuals are meant to enjoy which to him are God given and everyone is entitled to enjoy.
“In Uganda, we have seen the new media being shut down which grossly affects the right to information which is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and now enshrined in our constitution specifically in chapter four which is the bill of human rights,” Owor said.
However, according to Badru, Uganda has the obligation to uphold basic freedom and freedom of expression is key among them which were infringed upon by the ban on Facebook.
“Internet was one way, especially Facebook was one way where Ugandans were expressing their views freely; so closely it means Uganda closed the space and there is no freedom of speech,” Badru said.
Does it affect human rights, governance and democracy?
Whereas protection of national security and public safety are genuine concerns, internet shut downs and continued social media blockage in Uganda violates the regional and international human rights standards related to freedom of expression and access to information, among others.
The United Nations recognized Internet access as an enabler of fundamental rights like right to free expression and access to information, among others.
The Global Network Initiative [GNI], a global, multi-stakeholder organization focused on freedom of expression and privacy in the ICT sector pointed out how disrupting internet access can have far reaching technical, economic, and human rights impacts including undermining security and public safety, restricting access to vital emergency, payment and health services, and particular relevance for general elections undermining electoral transparency.
In light with Principle 37 of the Declaration of Principles of Freedom of Expression an Access to Information in Africa, state that states must facilitate the rights to freedom of expression and access to information online and the means necessary to exercise these rights, and must recognize that universal, equitable, affordable and meaningful access to the internet is necessary for the realization of freedom of expression, access to information and the exercise of other human rights.
The internet shutdown and social media blockage undermines Uganda’s efforts for digital transformation and innovation, as stated in the country’s Digital Vision. This has been witnessed with several service sectors, including the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank and Uganda Revenue Authority [URA] reporting negative impact on their operations with businesses registering many huge losses as a result of the shutdown.
GNI members, including Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and Paradigm Initiative (PIN) underscore the threat to Uganda citizens’ freedom of expression and access to accurate information proves detrimental to information access and daily livelihoods in addition to social, economic, educational, and political engagement while encouraging government to restore access.
The disruptions to digital communications began on January 09, 2021 with applications such as Google Play and the Apple App Store being made inaccessible. By January11, 2021, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp had been blocked.
Efforts to bypass the blockage were also frustrated as the government ordered the blockage of over 100 Virtual Private Networks [VPNs]. The social media blockage was justified by President Museveni as retaliation against Facebook and Twitter for their blockage of pro-ruling party accounts for what they described as coordinated inauthentic behavior aimed at manipulating public debate ahead of the 2021 general elections.
The Uganda Communications Commission [UCC] on January 13, 2021 ordered Internet Service Providers [ISPs] to enforce a temporary “Suspension of the Operation of Internet Gateways” citing Sections 5 (1) and 56 of the Uganda Communications Act of 2013, which requires UCC to monitor, inspect, license, supervise, control, and regulate communications services among other requirements.
Although the internet was restored five days after the government ordered that social media, app stores, YouTube, GitHub, and many VPNs remain blocked indefinitely.
On January 21, 2021, the then, State Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Peter Ogwang issued a warning threatening to arrest all Ugandans using social media as they are in violation of the blockage.
Uganda’s total economic cost of the internet shutdown for the 5 days can be estimated to be $8.9M (approximately 32.9 billion Ugandan Shillings); while the cost of blocking social media apps like Facebook cost the country an estimated $1.78M (approximately 6.5 billion Ugandan Shillings) per day, equivalent to $41.1M over the last 23 days.
Meanwhile, restrictions on app stores can prevent Ugandans from installing application updates, including security updates, thereby rendering millions devices vulnerable.
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