It would be recalled that earlier this year, a viral video circulated online which showed Hillary Sseguya expressing his wish to have Akufo-Addo as president of Uganda instead of Museveni who he referred to as a dictator.
“I wish we could exchange you for our Ugandan president dictator, General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who has been for 33 years,” he said in the video.
Apparently, that video and subsequent critiques of the Ugandan government on Twitter have compelled the government to block him on the social media platform.
Hillary Sseguya has now sued Museveni and some of his officials for what he referred to as a violation of his right to information about the government of his country and to criticise its policies if the need arises.
“The President’s tweet has first-hand information about the country, and as a Ugandan living in the Diaspora, I am missing out on that information which is imperative to me. His actions have violated my right to freedom of speech, and he must unblock me,” he told CNN.
Responding to the lawsuit, Ofwono Opondo, the Ugandan government spokesperson who has been joined to the suit admitted to blocking Sseguya, arguing that there are many other means the student could access information about the Ugandan government aside twitter.
“Yes I realized I blocked him (Sseguya) for offensive communication, I block whoever directs offensive communication to me personally, and I have no apologies,” Opondo is quoted as saying.
However, Sseguya believes it is completely out of place for public officials including the president of his country to block him on such an essential platform as twitter.
“But why would a public official block someone for their opposing view? With this, public servants will see that the people they lead can make them accountable,” he argued.
The student is attempting to replicate the status quo in the US where a court stopped president Donald Trump in July from blocking a twitter user after some seven individuals filed a lawsuit against his action.
Well, one can only wish Sseguya good luck in this ambitious endeavour, considering the fact that he is battling no other African country than Uganda led by ‘a no-nonsense’ Museveni.
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