Uganda Disowns Facebook Page Under Its Name

Two weeks ago Museveni said that Facebook would remain blocked in the country.

In Summary

• Uganda banned Facebook in January 2021, accusing the social media platform of meddling in the country's affairs.

On New Year’s day, a Facebook page operating under the Ugandan government's name put up a post to celebrate a milestone.

Image: FACEBOOK/BBC

The Ugandan government has disowned Facebook and Instagram pages operating under its name after controversy arose over why it was using social media platforms it had restricted to its citizens.

Uganda banned Facebook in January 2021, accusing the social media platform of meddling in the country's affairs.

Two weeks ago Mr Museveni said that Facebook would remain blocked in the country.

The Facebook and Instagram pages purporting to be official government sites have a "blue badge", which indicates they have been verified by Facebook as “the authentic presence of the public figure or global brand it represents.”

However, a statement by the government on Twitter now says the accounts are not run by the government.

“The only authentic account of Government of Uganda is on Twitter,” it reads.

The Facebook page in question was created in 2012 and has over 50,000 followers. On New Year’s day, it published a post celebrating the milestone.

Responding to criticism online, the Facebook page purporting to be that owned by the government said “we’re in talks and we hope this year we shall resolve the matter.”

The Instagram account is more obviously problematic. It spells the country ‘Uganga’ instead of Uganda and is registered in Russia.

Launched in 2020 it has around 6,000 followers.